Bag Balm and Duct Tape: Tales of a Vermont Doctor

In one of the author's asides to ``Serious Reader'' that dot this irreverent diary of a modern country doctor, we learn that ``of all the diseases a physician may contract in the line of duty, by far the most dangerous is seriosity.'' That danger is remote for Conger, who after a period of ``finding'' himself in the Berkeley ambiance of the '60s, transplanted himself, his new second wife and their daughter to the little town of Dumster, Vt, where he envisioned a life of relative peace. Instead, as successor to a much-loved and canny old general practitioner, he began a learning process under the guidance of his patients, who taught him to be the doctor they wanted. In an engaging blend of rustic wisdom and big-city know-how, Conger demonstrates the management of his patients and their ailments, real and imagined. His rapport with them is such that he notes with the gently self-mocking humor that permeates his narrative, ``although they know I am a misfit, they don't throw it up at me.'' (October)