A. Dr. Chin said he had heard anecdotally that some countries frown on condoms, and the devices might not be readily available.

It noted that some companies had complained of excessive documentation being required by auditors and added, "We have anecdotally heard that this documentation, in many cases, substantially exceeded that normally produced by financial institutions," even though the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the 1991 law were similarly worded.

"We have heard anecdotally from some of our store owners that there was a bit of a slowdown in the days immediately after the attacks, but then things evened themselves out after that," said Michael Hoynes, director of marketing for the American Booksellers Association, which represents smaller, independent bookstores.

I've heard anecdotally from our members that some buyers are resisting that kind of pricing.

The number of midday medications that nurses give out has perhaps doubled in the last decade or so, she said, and she has heard anecdotally of extreme cases in which nurses at 600-student schools give out as many as 75 or 80 pills each day.

"We've heard anecdotally the day after the report that some die-hards had cravings for Mexican food," said Wendy Webster, a spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association.

"We've heard anecdotally in New York that chancellors like to change tests so that scores initially go down, and then go up as everyone gets more familiar with the test," Dr. Teske said.

Dr. Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich, chief of psychopharmacology at Children's Hospital Boston, said: "I've heard anecdotally that a lot of antidepressants were being prescribed by pediatricians without a lot of training or experience.

The lawyer for some of the buyers, Dennis R. Sawh, said he had heard anecdotally that other home buyers around the New York area had been thrown into similar predicaments because of soaring house prices.

There is no comprehensive data on how many lawyers are recommending against disclosure, said Salvatore Prividera Jr., a spokesman for the New York State Association of Realtors, "but we certainly have anecdotally heard that some lawyers have been advising clients to pay the penalty rather than complete the form."