MORE CHICKEN SOUP AND OTHER FOLK REMEDIES

Following upon their successful Chicken Soup and Other Folk Remedies, the Wilens have combed more folklore and comers of Americana to bring us a sequel. What is new about this volume? There is a more daring inclusion of harder-to-find herbs, minerals and vitamins. Otherwise, it is pretty much the same old brew of back rubs, poultices, and barley water. There is a tendency to be cutesy (""If you're getting hot flashes. . .either the paparazzi are following you, or you're going through menopause""; or what to do about sunburn when ""you're gotten more than you basked for""). But, after all, this is a harmless book that's more of a curiosity piece than a serious medical guide. How else to describe a book that dictates this test for nocturnal erections: ""get a roll of postage stamps and wrap it in a single thickness around. . .the penis. . .tape the two ends. . .firmly but not too fight. Pleasant dreams'! When nighttime erection occurs, the increased diameter of the penis should break the stamps."" Not to worry. The Wilkens disclaim any medical training, and they claim that a medical doctor has reviewed it all, concluding that ""they may not always help, but they certainly wouldn't hurt."" A fitting epitaph for this volume.