Overview

Medical doctor and economist Christopher Murray began the Global Burden of Disease study to gain a truer understanding of how we live and how we die. One of the largest scientific projects ever attempted—as breathtaking as the first moon landing or the Human Genome Project—the answers it offers are meaningful for every one of us. Challenging the accepted wisdom of the WHO and the UN, the charismatic and controversial health maverick argues that the ideal existence isn’t simply the longest, but the one lived well and with the least illness. Until we can accurately measure global health issues, we cannot understand what makes us sick or do much to improve it. In Epic Measures, acclaimed journalist Jeremy N. Smith chronicles Murray’s lifelong determination to understand how we live and die—an enthralling, awe-inspiring account encompassing wars and famines, presidents and activists, billionaires and billions of people worldwide living in poverty. It shows the human side of scientific revolutions and of revolutionary scientists—their breakthroughs and setbacks, their genius and their flaws, their champions and their critics—as they strive to bring the news of their findings to the world. While this transformational effort is far from over, the story of its genesis and impact is already an epic tale.

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9780062237514

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Reviews

-A page-turner that could radically change the way you view health.---Joy Portella, President, Minerva Strategies

A page-turner that could radically change the way you view health. --Joy Portella, President, Minerva Strategies

Epic Measures is a fantastic read. -- Bill Gates Jeremy Smith's engaging story of a man obsessed with the numbers, and the mortal dramas they tell, reads like a novel and is better than any textbook or survey of this planet's health. -- Paul Farmer, Co-Founder of Partners In Health and Co-Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School Epic Measures is a story of people who believed...that what needed to be done could be done. It's exciting, well-crafted, and inspirational. Like The Social Network but actually important. Saving a million lives isn't cool. Y'know what's cool? Saving a billion lives. -- Hank Green, co-creator and co-host of Crash Course and SciShow Jeremy Smith tells an inspiring story of how a simple idea, conceived logically and pursued with grit, can greatly improve the human condition. -- Edward O. Wilson, University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University This book is a crash course in global health mixed with a thriller and a biography. And my goodness, what a made-for-Hollywood character at its core--a brilliant but bristly scientist out to revolutionize the way we conceive healthcare. -- A. J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy and The Year of Living Biblically Reading Epic Measures is like spending time with Chris Murray--an intense intellectual treat, the sense of participating in something important, and the thrill of a riveting adventure. For more realism, I recommend reading this book while biking up or skiing down a terrifyingly steep mountain slope. -- Gary King, Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University Bold, brash, and brilliant.... In Epic Measures, Jeremy Smith tells a compelling story of the man who led a group of like-minded collaborators, inspired a legion of followers, irritated the establishment, and changed the way the world thinks about health and disease. -- Harvey V. Fineberg, President, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation The Global Burden of Disease Study is not only an epic dataset, but also an epic human story.... Through fine reporting and graceful writing, Jeremy Smith reveals the high-stakes story behind the numbers that are transforming global health. -- Michelle Nijhuis, co-editor of The Science Writers' Handbook Remarkably entertaining... A giant compilation of 'who knew?' -- Tina Rosenberg, The New York Times Opinionator In public health it is said that what is measured gets done. But what if the measurements were all wrong? This book should be mandatory reading. While others on the beach may have been reading mysteries, I was turning the pages of a true thriller. -- Richard E. Besser, M.D., Chief Health and Medical Editor, ABC News We've all heard about the rise of Big Data and how it will have big effects. Well, this is the ultimate Big Data project and it could indeed save lives and money-big time! -- Fareed Zakaria, CNN A thumping narrative about trends shaping the future. -- Aaron Shulman, The Los Angeles Review of Books An inspirational tale for everyone. -- Publishers Weekly A fascinating account of a charismatic visionary. -- Kirkus Reviews A page-turner that could radically change the way you view health. -- Joy Portella, President, Minerva Strategies Epic Measures is a story of people who believed...that what needed to be done could be done. It's exciting, well-crafted, and inspirational. Like The Social Network but actually important. Saving a million lives isn't cool. Y'know what's cool? Saving a billion lives. --Hank Green, co-creator and co-host of Crash Course and SciShow A thumping narrative about trends shaping the future. --Aaron Shulman, The Los Angeles Review of Books The Global Burden of Disease Study is not only an epic dataset, but also an epic human story.... Through fine reporting and graceful writing, Jeremy Smith reveals the high-stakes story behind the numbers that are transforming global health.--Michelle Nijhuis, co-editor of The Science Writers' Handbook

Author Information

Jeremy N. Smith has written for Discover, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Chicago Tribune, among many other publications. His first book, Growing a Garden City, was one of Booklist's top ten books on the environment for 2011. Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, he is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Montana. He lives in Missoula, Montana, with his wife and young daughter.

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