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dlabau's review
5.0
A superb book about a remarkable and brilliant man. A must read if you care about health care policy.
schunter59's review
3.5
A fantastic history of health measurement pre-GBD and some of the politics around its establishment. However, I thought the writer only superficially covered some of the choices behind GBD and the controversy around choices. I’d have learnt much more and enjoyed the book more if that had been better discussed.
danbernstein94's review
5.0
Great book that looks at the man who revolutionized population health with keen insights into the interplay of various international organizations that compete for visibility and supremacy.
pjdas1012's review
4.0
"This book is the story of a huge independent effort, years in preparation, to do nothing less than chart everything that threatens the health of everyone on Earth."
A profile of Dr. Chris Murray, who made it his mission to count the diseases that afflict humans and figure out what are the greatest causes of illness and death.
In the vein of [b:Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World|10235|Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World|Tracy Kidder|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433156001l/10235._SY75_.jpg|1639628], this is equally the story of a physician-scientist as it is the mission he undertakes. It chronicles Dr. Murray's background in global health to his ultimate health measurement work, supported by the Gates Foundation. I had never heard of the Global Burden of Disease project, but now learning about it makes it seem like one of the most important projects humanity could undertake. I felt excited while reading this book because of how it makes the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of beating death more tangible.
A profile of Dr. Chris Murray, who made it his mission to count the diseases that afflict humans and figure out what are the greatest causes of illness and death.
In the vein of [b:Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World|10235|Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World|Tracy Kidder|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433156001l/10235._SY75_.jpg|1639628], this is equally the story of a physician-scientist as it is the mission he undertakes. It chronicles Dr. Murray's background in global health to his ultimate health measurement work, supported by the Gates Foundation. I had never heard of the Global Burden of Disease project, but now learning about it makes it seem like one of the most important projects humanity could undertake. I felt excited while reading this book because of how it makes the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of beating death more tangible.
uberbutter's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
Ok, so this book took me MONTHS to finish, which is not the norm for me. Maybe it was because I often picked it up late at night or maybe all the medical jargon made for insta-sleep (not an easy feat for someone with insomnia). But I finally got through it!
It's not that it's a bad book. It's absolutely fascinating what Dr. Murray accomplished in his research over many years. The first comprehensive guide and continuously updated look into what causes diminished life and death in the entire world. No easy feat. Sure, we have WHO, the UN, and other nonprofit agencies but what happens when they all have very different answers? That's where Murray swoops in.
This book was published in 2015 and most of the studies in the book take place in 2012 or earlier. So I'd be curious to see an update on how the last few years were handled!
If you're deep into medicine, Epic Measures may be your thing. For me, it was a bit too much and repetitive to continuously keep my attention.
It's not that it's a bad book. It's absolutely fascinating what Dr. Murray accomplished in his research over many years. The first comprehensive guide and continuously updated look into what causes diminished life and death in the entire world. No easy feat. Sure, we have WHO, the UN, and other nonprofit agencies but what happens when they all have very different answers? That's where Murray swoops in.
This book was published in 2015 and most of the studies in the book take place in 2012 or earlier. So I'd be curious to see an update on how the last few years were handled!
If you're deep into medicine, Epic Measures may be your thing. For me, it was a bit too much and repetitive to continuously keep my attention.
kcraft's review
4.0
Really engaging and interesting. Hard to put down, although the style definitely means a fairly huge bias in favor of the book's subject, Chris Murray. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when the antagonist(if it can be called that) of a book is the World Health Organization, that should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, great read, full of important information.
cantwelljr's review
5.0
So good! Such an engaging work and so informative. It's not easy to make data analysis either interesting or easily understood, but this does both. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants a good dose of hope for the future.
lmuskal's review
4.0
Great book on Christopher Murray and the Global Burden of Disease study. Recommend to anyone who is interested in global health, healthcare, data science and international politics. Also gives a fascinating look at the corruption within WHO and the start of the IHME.