THE HABITS OF HEALTH: The Prudent Person Guide to Well-Being

A hodgepodge of health hints, unrelated except for their charm. Dr. Norfolk reminds us that ""a million hospitals cannot make one healthy person,"" and that the only cure for most human maladies is the cultivation of proper health habits. His list is alphabetical, from apathy (""we must have the courage to enter the maelstrom of life"") to zest. In between we have bust-development (better fiat than foolish), dishwashing (""innocent-looking dishcloths can carry as many as three billion bacteria""), and laughter, which is good for just about everything, including indigestion. Under the heading of defecation, we learn the origins of toilet paper, or ""rump wipers""--from the neck of a goose to a curved stick (perhaps the source of the expression, ""getting hold of the wrong end of the stick""). There are safety tips for skiers, nutritious potato recipes, and seven suggestions for a better sex-life. If laughter is indeed the best medicine, then Dr. Norfolk has hit upon a wonder cure.