Happy Accidents
Author | : Morton A. Meyers |
Publisher | : Arcade Publishing |
Total Pages | : 420 |
Release | : 2007 |
ISBN-10 | : 1559708190 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781559708197 |
Rating | : 4/5 (90 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: This is Morton Meyers' fascinating, entertaining, and highlyaccessible look at the surprising role serendipity played in some of themost important medical discoveries in the 20th century. Though within thescientific community a certain stigma is attached to chance discoverybecause it is wrongly seen as pure luck, happy accidents happen every dayand Meyers shows how it takes intelligence, insight, and creativity torecognize a "Eureka! I found what I wasn't look for!" moment and know whatto do next. Penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, Valium, the Pap smear,and Viagra were all discovered accidentally, stumbled upon in search ofsomething else. In discussing these medical breakthroughs and others, Dr.Meyers makes a cogent, highly engaging argument for a more creative, ratherthan purely linear, approach to science.