Book excerpt: Tanner's book begins with his formative years in Missouri and Georgia during the 1920s and 1930s. As a young man, Tanner begins college in Virginia and then leaves for the island of Saipan during World War II. Upon his return, his medical career began in earnest as he is accepted to the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. His internship in Saint Petersburg, Florida landed him in family practice in Auburndale, Florida in 1955 where he spent his career with a number of various patients and their problems.Tanner's memories are gathered from scribbling notes and patients' comments on bits.