Dr. McGinnis' collection of special episodes and experiences invites the reader on a fascinating journey through the 20th century; a century that brought inconceivable changes in transportation, communication, government, medicine and personal comfort. The author, a witness to most of the 20th century, recounts changes in life and surgery, times of peace and prosperity, the Great Depression, war. "If a man gains knowledge and a degree of wisdom, he originates little of this. He learned because there was a vast body of knowledge on this earth when he arrived, and teachers willing to teach. "If a man fulfills opportunities and attains success, much is not of his own doing. Untold generations before him struggled to escape persecution and poverty. They crossed oceans under unspeakable conditions. They did heavy labor with simple tools and their sweat trying to improve their own lives. When they had gone, whether by intent or accident, they had improved the life of generations to come and put opportunity in their path."