Author(s): DENNIS DECLAUDIO

General

A morbidly entertaining pocket guide to the human (medical) condition

Whether a tissue-wielding disease phobic, a closet temperature-taker, or a speed-dialling doctor stalker, hypochondria is all around us. At last, there is a book that will fuel all of those fears and obsessions. The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have profiles fifty of the most disgusting, painful, life-threatening and otherwise icky diseases. From the oldies but goodies - leprosy, cholera - to the outright bizarre - burning mouth syndrome - even the most discriminating hypochondriac will be satisfied. Organised by type (autoimmune/genetic, bacterial, parasitic/fungal, and viral) for quick self-diagnosis, each disease is fully documented, including a checklist of symptoms, an overview, treatment, prognosis, and - for the rare cases in which the reader is not yet infected - notes on prevention. With meticulous text written by an editor in the Infectious Disease Department of Elsevier, The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have is endlessly fascinating... and capable of starting even the most health-confident into fanatical hand washing. First published 2006.