It's Probably Nothing

"Dr. Beach Conger's It's Probably Nothing is the inspiring tale of a fine and caring physician's life and times in two places that could scarcely be more different: rural Vermont and inner-city Philadelphia. Written with great humor, wisdom, common sense, and compassion, It's Probably Nothing is a uniquely American memoir by a very insightful American individualist. I loved it."

—Howard Frank Mosher, author of Walking to Gatlinburg

By the author of Bag Balm and Duct Tape.

Hiram Stedrock sat in the examining room worried about a family member in distress. Her name was Gloria. She was a cow.

When Dr. Beach Conger returns to Vermont, after several years in Philadelphia, he reenters a medical practice that is worlds away from big-city medicine. In It’s Probably Nothing, Conger learns that his patients—from Pauline Pontifact to Uptah Corless—need him more than ever to teach them how to navigate the modern medical maze.

This collection of stories showcases Conger’s irreverent view into the doctor’s role and his profound empathy for the characters he encounters along the way. Conger also examines how medicine—and problems with our current health-care system—can remain the same and yet feel vastly different whether you’re a small-town farmer or an urban resident.

About the Author

Beach Conger, M.D.

Beach Conger, MD, was born in 1941 in New York City and grew up in Pleasantville, N.Y. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1967 and did his training in internal medicine at Boston City Hospital and the University of California San Francisco. From 1969 to 1971 he was an offer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the CDC. From 1977 to 2001, he practiced general internal medicine at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vt. He then spent five years teaching hospital medicine at Medical College of Pennsylvania and Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, serving as chief of hospital medicine ...

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