In "The Life and Times of Benjamin Wiggins, M.D.," the prequel to Medical Grail, Ben Wiggins, an irascible octogenarian, pits his wits and spunk against a group of private doctors and administrators who seize an opportunity to use tax funds to purchase a CT scanner for their tiny hospital. Outraged by their brazen attempt to rip-off the community, Ben ignores their threats of lawsuits and libelous assaults while fighting them in the press and in Town Hall. Evelyn Cooper, his companion and confidant, and Peter Henry, a lifelong friend, join him in his battle to expose the hoax that will double the cost of heathcare to the poor citizens of Whitney, a small, poor town in the middle of Arizona's Sonoran Desert.