VERGENNES — Beach Conger, MD — author of “Bag Balm and Duct Tape,” “It’s Not My Fault,” and “It’s Probably Nothing: More Adventures of a Country Doctor”(2011) — will speak at Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. as part of the library’s Third Thursday series.
Conger is a well-respected physician practicing at Community Health Center of Burlington and in Windsor at Mt. Ascutney Hospital. He has been a member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty where he was recognized for his medical wisdom and personal approach to his profession.
Described as a “contrarian doctor” by the Dartmouth Medicine journal, Conger’s biography noted that he practiced internal medicine at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor until 2002. Upon arrival at Mt. Ascutney in 1977, he found that practicing medicine meant that he made house calls and nursing home calls, saw patients in the emergency room, covered the small community hospital as an on-call MD at night, was the “specialist on site” for internal medicine and ran a medical clinic at the hospital  He had found his heart in medicine and his stories capture the nature and indomitable spirit of Vermonters at a most vulnerable point in their lives.
“It’s Probably Nothing” is a sequel to the popular characters created by Conger in his first country medicine book, “Bag Balm and Duct Tape.” The new book follows Conger and his wife — who are escapees to the North Country from urban Philadelphia — in the fictional town of Dumster. The new book includes vignettes of rural life and the politics of small towns.
One of Conger’s reading fans is Vermont Congressman Peter Welch. Welch said he enjoys reading Conger’s book as a way to relax on trips between Washington, D.C., and Vermont.
“‘It’s Probably Nothing’ is actually quite wonderful,” said Welch. “With wit and humility, but above all with deep affection, Beach Conger captures perfectly what it is to be a Vermonter. This book is a must-read for doctors and patients alike.”
For additional information on this and other programs in the Bixby Library’s Third Thursday series, contact the library at (802) 877-2211. All Third Thursday events are free and open to the public.