On the importance of adult jokes and laughter: Some dictionary definitions of laughter are as follows: the general word for the sounds or exhalation made in expressing mirth, amusement, etc. and to feel or express joyousness. I started collecting these adult jokes, brief bits of humor, and one-liners over seventy years ago while serving as a young enlisted man and officer in World War II and the Korean Conflict. As a young serviceman, I started collecting them as a hobby when I observed the one sure way to relieve the anxiety and tension of young men who didnt know if theyd be here tomorrow, or if so in one piece, was to hear and respond to a good adult joke. Later in graduate school, during a course in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, I learned that laughter is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body. After sharing this adult humor with a large number of family members and friends and receiving a resounding positive response from these recipients, I was motivated to write this book with the belief it would provide many healthy smiles and laughs to a much larger audience of adults. I have thoroughly discovered this books subtitle, Laughter Is the Best Medicine, is indeed the most valid one that could be used. Dr. Floyd E. McDowell Sr.