Albert Howard Carter, III, reads and signs Clowns and Jokers Can Heal Us: Comedy and Medicine
Sat 1/14 2pm-3pm
Howard Carter, Ph.D., adjunct faculty, UNC School of Medicine, is a long-time observer and interpreter of the medical world. His book shows (with many examples) the important of humor in maintaining and restoring health.
“More than a joke book--although there are dozens of laugh-out-loud stories, puns, and malapropisms collected over decades--Carter's CLOWNS approaches humor by situating it in the four ancient Greek humours, described as sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Humor creates a so-called Green World (a metaphor for health and joy) in the gray world of the hospital, he argues. And he delivers with his account of the hospital clown, whom he shadows, showing how she bridges the two worlds.”
“Humor, as the many examples in CLOWNS show, is a natural emotion that helps us regain health. Carter's personal reflections--all energy and warmth--are aligned with his theory of how humor effects a mind-body connection. What I take away from this provocative new book is that we should embrace the use of humor in medicine. And CLOWNS gives us tools for doing so, providing a model for creating normalcy within the anarchy of sickness. Offering an insider's comic view of hospital life, it's a great gift for clinicians, caregivers, and their patients.” - Mahala Stripling, online review