Morton A. Meyers, M.D.

This is Morton Meyers' fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the 20th century. Though within the scientific community a certain stigma is attached to chance discovery because it is wrongly seen as pure luck, happy accidents happen every day and Meyers shows how it takes intelligence, insight, and creativity to recognize a "Eureka! I found what I wasn't look for!" moment and know what to do next. Penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, anti-depressants, the adult stem cell, genetics of cancer, the Pap smear, and Viagra were all discovered accidentally, stumbled upon in search of something else. In discussing these medical breakthroughs and others, Dr. Meyers makes a cogent, highly engaging argument for a more creative, rather than purely linear, approach to science.

Events

Book Readings and Discussions

October 20, 2010 New York Surgical Society, New York City

February 7, 2010 University Club, New York City

October 7, 2008 Michigan State University School of Medicine, Lansing, Michigan

December 5, 2007 Society for the History of Medicine, SUNY Stony Brook

October 30, 2007 Emma Clark Memorial Library, East Setauket, NY

October 3, 2007 University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

April 5, 2007 The New York Public Library, New York City


Radio and TV Interviews

March 29, 2008 Studio 360 WNYC, National Public Radio

December 1, 2007 Health Issues Station KTIP, Bakersfield, California

October 8, 2007 Kojo Nnamdi Show WAMU Public Radio, Washington, D.C.

October 7, 2007 CBS News Sunday Morning hosted by Charles Osgood

September 28, 2007 The Greater Voice: Voice of America

June 12, 2007 Sound Medicine WFYI Public Radio, Indianapolis, IN

May 20, 2007 Studio 619 WFPL Public Radio, Louisville, KY

May 9, 2007 The Roundtable Public Radio WAMC, Albany, New York

April 2, 2007 The Leonard Lopate Show WNYC, New York Public Radio


Internet Video Editorials

February 22, 2007 Eureka! When Scientists Find What They're Not Looking For. Video Editorial: Medscape General Medicine (Web MD), 2007.





A Must-Read Book for the chastened CEO in 2009 "Happy Accidents" explodes many of the myths around [the] notion of progress and reveals the role chance and empiricism have played and will play in medical discovery. Meyers' ... essential insight ... is exactly right. It represents a particularly useful and humbling message for managers in this high-tech era. -Forbes.com

“This is a terrific idea and so well done. I can’t imagine anyone who would not love this book. It is filled with enlightening insights into the scientific endeavor and yet is conversational and occasionally even gossipy. Readers will enjoy every page, while learning a great deal about the process of medical discovery."-Sherwin B. Nuland

"A skilled storyteller, Meyers explains in layman’s terms the science involved... Illuminating." -Kirkus Reviews