Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs

Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs by Meyers, Morton A.. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781559708456.

What do penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, antidepressants, and Viagra have in common? They were each discovered accidentally, found in the search for something else. Winston Churchill once said, ÒMen occasionally stumble across the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing has happened.Ó Happy accidents take place every day, but it requires intelligence, insight, and creativity to recognize a ÒEureka!Ó moment when it occurs, and to know what to do next. Drawing on personal experience, research, and interviews with winners of the Nobel Prize and other prestigious awards, Morton A. Meyers uncovers the surprising role of serendipity in four major fields of medical advancesÑinfectious disease, cancer, heart disease, and mental disorders. He exposes the factors that stifle innovation and proposes steps to foster a more creative approach to science. It may just save our lives!