"When the world is dark,
the court jester carries a bright light."
Anonymous

This is a cartoon book with a point of view. It’s about your health. Much has been written about the therapeutic benefits of laughter, and we certainly emphasize this in the text. What we want you to do here is get beyond the theory and into the practice. Let’s laugh! Let’s get serious about humor.

The cartoons are called PunToons! because they’re exclusively about that rare and venerated form of humor, the pun -- otherwise known as wordplay. This is the only "toon" devoted exclusively to puns. And the presentation is both verbal and visual, delivered by four delightful characters.

Norman Gilbert, Chairman of the Bored of the International Save the Pun Foundation, says of this book: "Laughter is the best medicine, and if I am ever in need of a doctor, I’ll call at the Mack Rowe pun clinic for Doctors Pun, Toon, Eunice, and Grinny, those formidable funsters who will heel the sick with the prescription that never fails."

Be prepared to ponder a plethora of puns and fun. And enjoy! The plethora’s all mine!

Punning is a disease -- a transmittable one -- but only the kind that makes you feel better. PunToons! begins with Neil Shawen transmitting pun ideas to Mack Rowe, who turns them into cartoon sketches. Mack then transmits the sketches back to Neil, who fineTOONS them. Together the two transmit a salutary scourge -- PUNdemic pestilence -- of puns to you. Careful -- they are contagious!

Mack cartooned as a kid but waited until he retired to really get into this art form. In the meantime, he got a doctoral degree in graphic design and communication at Indiana University and became the Art Director at the Federal Reserve Board. Later he founded his own design business in Alexandria, VA. In 1994, he created his four characters and began drawing PunToons! comics.

Neil, a native Virginian with a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the George Washington University, has worked for the University of Virginia in designing adult education courses in Northern Virginia. And Neil really has a way with words. He just can’t let’em alone!

Several years ago these two joined forces and have had a PUNderful time ever since!

Neil, my co-punspirator, and I laugh a lot when we "work" together creating PunToons! And we enjoy making you laugh. It’s a wonderful way for us to connect with each other. And, goodness knows, we need to connect in today’s world. There’s plenty separating us in our stress-filled daily lives, like hectic commuting, working in a noisy office cubicle, and getting through a shopping mall.

And it’s really healthy to laugh each day. It releases good energy and sends it to all parts of your body, making you feel good. For a precious moment, you forget the problem that was bugging you. This shift gives you a fresh perspective. When you return from your laugh that problem you were wrestling with looks different, and you now have the opportunity to create a new way to solve your dilemma.

So humor and laughing give you a double benefit: better health and more creative living.

Jest For the Health of It!

Several years ago Norman Cousins, author and long-time editor of Saturday Review, was diagnosed with a fatal disease of his body’s connective tissue. He couldn’t raise his arms, had difficulty turning over in bed, and his jaws almost locked in place. Since his doctors gave him little to no hope, he took matters into his own hands (something each of us needs to do about our own health).

What s a minister’s snarling dog? A holy terrier!

After much personal study, he determined that negative emotions can indeed have an unhealthy effect on the body’s chemistry.

Cousins decided to explore the therapeutic value of positive emotions, including laughter, and found new ways to laugh! One was watching Marx Brothers and Candid Camera movies day after day in his hospital room. Soon he found that ten minutes of good laughing gave him two hours free of pain. At the same time, his body began to recover. In short, he laughed until he regained his health and his life. He showed us that laughter really can be the best medicine!

Clowning Around!

A well-known physician has used humor as his medicine to promote health for many years. His name, Patch Adams. Maybe you saw the movie by the same name.

Dr. Adams is a renegade who is creating a revolution in the medical profession. He plays the role of a clown, getting people to laugh their way to health instead of prescribing drugs. He says:

"Research has shown that laughter increases the secretion of the natural chemicals, catecholamines, and endorphins that make us feel so peppy and good."*

*Geshundheit!, Patch Adams, M.D., Healing Arts

Press, Rochester, Vermont, 1998.

He considers laughing to be one of the "magic elixirs" of life. How about that for reinforcing our need to laugh every day? He goes on to claim that

"... a moment of laughter, a walk in the country, simple touching, or tears can reorganize our biology in a way that drugs cannot."

Talk about alternative medicine! He’s actually pointing the way for each of us to be our own doctor. He has

"... reached the conclusion that humor is vital in healing the problems of individuals, communities, and societies."

Finally, he goes on to tell what goes on inside us when we laugh:

"Oxygenation of the blood increases, and residual air in the lungs decreases. Pyschologically, humor forms the foundation of good mental health. Humor is an excellent antidote to stress and an effective social lubricant.

Being funny is a powerful magnet for friendship, life’s most important treasure."

Amen.