[.ca] The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death. (ISBN 0684856484)

Hilarious!:
Ha! What a hysterical book! I showed it to everyone who would look. I'm going to pass my copy around to my friends. I loved the diagram of the male and female body parts. And the Rorshach blots! Hee! And the chapter about how cancer is not funny just completely cracked me up. Every doctor's office in the world should have a copy of this book. It's great!

Yes, it's funny:
This is one of the funniest things I've read in years. At first I was afraid to read it because I thought it would give me ideas--I admit to being a bit of a hypochondriac myself but instead of being upset or studying myself for symptoms I had a ball.

This book is a killer:
If you're not a hypochondriac before you read "The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life and Death," you will be by the time you finish it. Who among us doesn't hiccup, eat vegetables, or experience the occasional twitch in an eyelid? According to Weingarten, all of these seemingly harmless activities can lead to our imminent demise, accompanied by horrible pain and distressing body noises. For instance, the only place where we probably can't get cancer is the lens of our eye. Then there is this really gross tumor called a "teratoma" that can have teeth and hair. If you ever bit the head off of one of those ugly little Smurf® dolls when you were a kid (or as part of a fraternity initiation rite when you were still a kid but had the body of an adult), then picture it as wandering to a sensitive portion of your anatomy and MUTATING!!! Whew! Even the author had trouble finding anything humorous about cancer. He tried asking an oncologist, "So, Doctor, what's funny about cancer?" "'Let's see,' \othe oncologist\c said. 'Humor. OK, what is the difference between Sloan-Kettering and Shea Stadium?' "Dunno, I said. "'At Sloan-Kettering, the mets always win.' "Ha ha, I said. What? "'See, 'mets' is an abbreviation for 'metastasis,' which is a cancer that has spread systemically from one organ or system to another.' "Ah. "A desperate silence filled the room." I suppose if I had to stagger off of this mortal coil, "beer potomania" wouldn't be such a bad way to go (compared to most of the other diseases in this book). People who drink in excess of eight quarts of beer per day can accumulate too much water in their blood (I guess the liver hogs all of the beer), which leads to confusion, lethargy, and death. Moral: don't mix water with your beer. The low point of "The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life and Death" might be Chapter 20, "Oh, Crap (Diagnosis by the Process of Elimination)," wherein the author interviews a gastroenterologist who specializes in flatulence. This is the chapter I quoted most extensively to my friends. Amazon.com won't let me quote the same passages for you, so buy this book and read it. If you'd like to learn more about the author, Gene Weingarten, read Dave Barry's introduction before taking the plunge into Chapter 01, and figuring out which disease is going to take you down the drain.

The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death.:
I picked up a copy of this book in a huge bookstore, because we were on vacation and I got sick. Tired of watching tv, I started reading, and within moments I was laughing so hard that tears were sliding down my face and I was actually snorting with laughter. There are some sad parts too, but Gene Weingarten, who writes a weekly column for the Washington Post Magazine, in DC, is one of my favorite writers, and I had always enjoyed his work. He speaks of illnesses in words you've always wanted to say, but never had, especially at the right time, and shows you that once you've been sick, and have been taken into the Medical Establishment's Mothership, LOL, you will never be the same again. Nothing will ever embarrass you about your body, because it will be hanging out for all to see, at any given time. There is nothing frightening about this book: it is merely a wonderful display of medical knowledge, personal history, and a fantastic sense of humor, on the part of the author. If you've ever even had a cold, you will appreciate this book!

See if you can stop laughing....:
Funny, funny, funny. You'll be reading aloud to whoever is nearby. Guaranteed. Takes all your worst nightmares and rolls them into one frighteningly delightful book. A worthy descendent of Three Men In A Boat, the first hypochondriac's guide to life. Buy it and prepare for some lengthy investigations on the Internet...diseases you've never heard of and don't want to imagine, described in lovely detail. The only thing that could make it better would be illustrations!