Clowns and jokers can heal us
Subtitle: comedy and medicine
By: Albert Howard Carter III
Series: Perspectives in medical humanities; Perspectives in medical humanities
Publisher: University of California Medical Humanities Consortium
Published: 2011
Place of publication: San Francisco, CA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9780983463917
Subjects: Wit and humor in medicine; Therapeutic use; Wit and humor; Wit and Humor as Topic; Laughter Therapy
Description: From the cover. Why do we tell jokes about dcotors and hospitals? Why do patients often initiate humor with healthcare workers? Howard Carter presents and analyzes humor inside and outside of the hospital. He argues that rituals of comedy affirm our humanity, aid healing, and should be routinely part of medical care. Carter discusses a wide range of comedy: the work of a hospital clown, ER humor that ranges from the playful to the harsh, humor that breaks taboo, humorous uses of imagery, character, and story, Freudian attacks, and jokes about sex, aging, and deathl. Humor, he finds, helps us deal with difficult subjects, creates social bonds, and affirms positive values. Because humor frees our imaginations and gives us pleasure, it provides a humane context for maintaining health when we are well and for healing when we are sick.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [241]-244) and index.