The Laws of Medicine Read online

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  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.

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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.

  SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].

  For information on licensing the TED Talk that accompanies this book, or other content partnerships with TED, please contact [email protected].

  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)