Each TED Book is paired with a related TED Talk, available online at TED.com. The books pick up where the talks leave off. An 18-minute speech can plant a seed or spark the imagination, but many talks create a need to go deeper, to learn more, to tell a longer story. TED Books fill this need.
ABOUT TED
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics—from science to business to global issues—in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers—and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.
In fact, everything we do—from our TED Talks videos to the projects sparked by the TED Prize, from the global TEDx community to the TED-Ed lesson series—is driven by this goal: How can we best spread great ideas?
TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation.
We hope you enjoyed reading this TED Books eBook.
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Copyright © 2015 by Siddhartha Mukherjee
This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.
The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
The names and characteristics of some individuals have been changed.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
TED, the TED logo, and TED Books are trademarks of TED Conferences, LLC.
First TED Books hardcover edition October 2015
TED BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of TED Conferences, LLC.
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Cover and interior design by: MGMT. design
Cover and interior illustrations: Iconographic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, and Art, New York: R. Garrigue, 185
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-8484-7
ISBN 978-1-4767-8485-4 (ebook)
The Laws of Medicine: Field Notes From an Uncertain Science Page 6
