HUNAN HAND AND OTHER AILMENTS: Letters to the New England Journal of Medicine

A mildly amusing collection of peculiar correspondence received by the New England Journal of Medicine: purely for medical buffs. These letters are loosely grouped under such headings as ""Medispeak: Treating Chronic Language Deficiency"" (a toss-up between medicolegalese and tediously punning physicians); occupational injuries (lots here on musicians' problems, such as tennis elbow in a violinist's bowing arm); and ""It's Reigning Cats and Dog, et. al"" (extensive reporting on a bee sting in the mouth, sustained while motorcycle riding, for example). The heavy-handed jocularity is quickly tedious--somewhat better are the reports of such medical oddities as ""Hunan Hand,"" a painful skin reaction to chopping chili peppers. A decidedly mixed bag.