“Meyers’s book stuns the reader. . . Meyers writes so beautifully and compellingly. . . You will learn so much and have so much fun reading this book that you will be telling your students, colleagues, and friends stories from it, and drawing on its lessons, for years to come. . . This is a great book! Meyers has spent years collecting stories of how modern medical marvels were actually discovered, which he tells with flair and finesse. . . What emerges is a detailed and nuanced description of the unexpected ways in which medical discoveries are actually made. . . A wide-spectrum antidote to these research ills. And since it is a pill that is easy to swallow, I urge everyone, whether medical student, private care physician, journal editor, policy maker, or interested layperson, to swallow it! . . . Refills available at your local bookstore!”
– Journal of the American Medical Association
“Rarely have I enjoyed reading a book more. Dr. Meyers’ latest book ‘Happy Accidents’ has all the attributes of unique publications that one never forgets…The book is entertaining, beautifully written, full of most interesting information, witty and should be a best seller not only for those interested in the history of science and medicine but also for the general public…’Happy Accidents’ is a MUST reading for the educated and curious public.”
– Radiology
“Outstanding . . . To my astonishment, almost everything important in medicine that has developed over the past two centuries came about, to a large extent, through pure serendipity. . . Extremely thought-provoking . . . What is most enjoyable about this compelling book is that Dr. Meyers writes this story with exceptional literary skill. . . While this book will be absolutely fascinating to everyone in the medical field, it can be equally appreciated and enjoyed by the interested lay-person as well. . . I urge you to obtain this book, read it, absorb the message, and incorporate it into your views of how creative research should be stimulated and supported. This remarkable book . . . will change the way you think as well as provide you with a wonderful reading experience.”
– American Journal of Roentgenology
“In this well-researched and well-documented book, Morton Meyers details many examples of serendipity in medical advances. . . This very readable and well-researched book provides much food for thought.”
– New England Journal of Medicine
“’Happy Accidents’ is, first and foremost, a book about the nature of discovery…According to Meyers, the scientific literature does not reflect the true nature of discovery in medicine…This book can help set right popular myths about science and…motivate debates about policies of grant administration and science education.”
– Nature Medicine
“Meyers is a good story teller and many of these pithy tales of accidental discovery are extremely interesting and illuminating … The book is well researched, cleverly illustrated, and copiously annotated … well worth reading.”
– The FASEB Journal
“A character-rich account of the role of chance in scientific research . . . A skilled storyteller, Meyers explains in layman’s terms the science involved. . . Illuminating.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“Lively and filled with miniportraits of important doctors . . . It will be hard to argue with Meyers’s criticism of a rigid scientific culture that discourages experimenters from keeping an eye out for the unexpected.”
– Publishers Weekly
“A few of the many examples Meyers explores will be familiar, but most will be a surprise to the majority of readers. . . It would behoove medical students, especially those who intend to go into research, to read ‘Happy Accidents’ before they graduate. . . Meyers’s anecdote-rich writing style is totally accessible to the layman, not only providing an enlightening read but leaving the reader with a wealth of bite-sized “did you know” facts to share on any occasion when the subject of health and medicine comes up.”
– BookBrowse
“Meyers entertains lay readers and challenges his professional colleagues in this lively history of serendipity’s role in medical discoveries. . . Often reading between the lines of dry scientific papers, Meyers teases out the flashes of insight that have transformed routine experiments into Nobel Prize–winning medical advances. . . He suggests strategies to transform research and education so that a culture of curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking can reemerge. . . Recommended . . . The first and last chapters should appear on many syllabi for first-year medical students.”
– Library Journal
“Remarkable work … justified indictment of much programmatic overkill by government funding of Big Pharma … highly recommended.”
– Choice Reviews
“Morton Meyers is of course, a world renowned radiologist [who] has achieved yet another masterpiece and I thoroughly recommend this.”
– European Radiology
“Original and highly enjoyable.”
– Robert Furchgott, Nobel laureate in medicine
“Meyers aptly illustrates that nature is often willing to whisper her secrets, but we must be prepared to listen.”
– Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D., editor in chief emeritus of the New England Journal of Medicine and author of On the Take
“Engrossing . . . Meyers’s book ought to be studied by anyone interested in learning about how a combination of good luck, astute observations, good judgment, and persistence have led to important medical discoveries.”
– James E. Till, Albert Lasker Award winner for the codiscovery of stem cells
“Compelling . . . Meyers makes the excellent point that great science is truly trial and error. He presents a beautifully described world of our greatest scientists, geniuses who could only have succeeded by having the freedom to experiment.”
– Marc Siegel, M.D., author of False Alarm
“Amusing, surprising, important, and profound! A must-read . . . Whether you are just curious about the unexpected, sometimes bizarre stories behind the treatments that keep you healthy, or you are a research manager who wants to foster breakthroughs, this book will simultaneously entertain and enlighten you.”
– Robert Root-Bernstein, author of Discovering and Sparks of Genius
“Fascinating, entertaining, and illuminating . . . Meyers makes wise recommendations for how to make research more creative.”
– Paul Thagard, author of How Scientists Explain Disease
“Meyers shows, for the first time, that serendipity has played a major role in many medical discoveries . . . Wonderfully engaging book . . . Everyone involved in medical research should read this. . . Even the experts at the National Institutes of Health could gain invaluable information.”
– Gerald W. Friedland, M.D., coauthor of Medicine’s 10 Greatest Discoveries
“Observations on the state of funding for biomedical research … could form the basis of debate on the merit and limitations of the peer-review process.”
– Annals of Internal Medicine
“Meyers refreshingly describes how science is actually done. He shows that truly consequential research has impact that is unimaginable in advance.”
– Alexander Scheeline, professor of chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“Meyers is at his best when he takes his time in telling of greater discoveries—his section on penicillin is brilliant and witty. . . Light and almost funny.”
– Philadelphia Inquirer
“Meyers has an eye for detail and anecdote, and the book is an excellent read.”
– British Medical Journal
“An absorbing read. Meyers is a wonderful storyteller … brings the historic events to brilliant, vibrant life.”
– Pharos
“What message does the book carry, beyond informing and entertaining the reader? It is obvious to anyone reading this that structured, linear thinking research is not always successful. Luck favours those who investigate every curious, apparently irrelevant observation … Meyers explains what factors make ‘lucky’ scientists tick and believes that it is essential for educators to emphasize the importance of original thinking in science.”
– Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
“‘Happy Accidents’…is a MUST read. Please go buy it. Read it twice, not once.”
– Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of the best-sellers Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan
“A Must-Read Book for the chastened CEO. ‘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