Norman Cousins, long-time editor of “Saturday Review,” tells how “laughter-therapy,” a warm bond with his physician, and Vitamin C cured a crippling spinal disease against 500-to-1 odds. A truly brilliant writer who became a medical researcher at UCLA, Cousins’ insistent optimism is an inspiration to anyone down in the dumps. In the second half of the show, Cousins tells how maintaining calm and confidence helped him recover from a massive heart attack.

Note: This is part of our series, “Kindred Spirits,” which contains four volumes of 12 half-hour segments.