Is it a new strain of bird flu? A strange neurological condition characterised by an irresistible urge to eat poultry-based foods?

No, Chicken Unga Fever is a collection of the very best of Dr Phil Whitaker's 'Health Matters' columns - much loved by readers of the New Statesman magazine, where they have appeared fortnightly for the past five years.

Funny, touching, informative, and often profoundly poignant, Chicken Unga Fever paints a vivid portrait of the working life of a West Country GP.

From the overweight anorexic to the rash-stricken Kylie fan, from the curious case of Top-of-the-Ear Disease to the equally mysterious Pool Toe, Phil's humanely written vignettes illuminate every aspect of modern medicine, and cast light on the state of our beleaguered NHS and the glorious variety of people it serves.

This collection will delight both interested lay readers and those who work in healthcare. And, to cap it all, somewhere in these pages the true nature of Chicken Unga Fever will be revealed.