New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell looks at why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Ideas, behavior, messages, and products, he argues, often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a few fare-beaters and graffiti artists fuel a subway crime wave, or a satisfied customer fill the empty tables of a new restaurant. These are social epidemics,...

Written by a physician, this is a work that radically redefines conventional conceptions of health and illness to offer new methods for living a long, healthy life. After considering the discoveries that have led to progress in treating some diseases, the author asked an essential question: Why aren't we better at curing illnesses like cancer? Based on his research and the clinical trials he has conducted at the nation's leading medical centers, he...

"Dean of Columbia University's medical school explains why our bodies are out of sync with today's environment and how we can correct this to save our health"--Amazon.com.