The problem with anecdotes is that we don't actually know what the cause of the results was. Maybe its the thing in question, but it could be something else eit

The problem with anecdotes is that we don't actually know what the cause of the results was. Maybe its the thing in question, but it could be something else either. That's the whole point of control groups (so you have a baseline to compare against and can filter out "contamination") and double blind tests (so you remove bias). If you have suspect data, throwing more suspect data in the pile doesn't make it less suspect. Anecdotal evidence is just that: unproven possibly suspect data. Having more of these doesn't make it any more reliable. So regardless of the original quote, I stand by the plural of anecdote not being data.