Laughter as therapy
From Jayne Osborn Sir: I applaud Ross Clark ('Militant mourning', 6 October). We cannot afford to lose our sense of humour during times of distress. My mother has senile dementia and the family is amused at some of the things she says, not because mental illness or decrepitude is funny, but because we can deal with what is a tragic situation more easily by seeing the funny side of it. I was not alive during either of the world wars, but I'm well aware of the number of humorous poems and songs about trenches, rats, lice, bombs, death, etc. — none of which are actually cause for amusement. So why was that stuff written? To save people sinking into troughs of despair from which they might never have emerged.
Jayne Osborn
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
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