经济学人商业 | 资本家逐利健康产业

Schumpeter

熊彼特专栏

The business of the body

健康产业

Capitalists are worshipping at the temple of wellness

资本家逐利健康产业

In A. DICKSON WRIGHT’s “Quacks Through the Ages”, a study published in 1957, the “outstanding quack of all times” was James Graham, an 18th-century Scottish doctor who conceived mystical cures for all sorts of ailments using fiery electric lamps, magnets and perfumes of the Orient. The centrepiece of his Temple of Health in London was a celestial bed that he claimed could combat sterility and produce perfect babies by pouring out waves of magnetism. High society flocked to his events, which had an air of eroticism and culminated in the scantily clad appearance of the Goddess of Health—none other than the future Lady Hamilton. He may have been an impostor, but Graham deserves special reverence at The Economist. His magnetic love bed lay adjacent to the site of our current headquarters overlooking the Thames.

1957年，迪克·森莱特（Dickson Wright）发布了一项研究报告《历代江湖郎中》。他在报告中称詹姆斯·格雷厄姆（James Graham）为史上最出色的江湖郎中。这位18世纪的苏格兰医生想出了诸多神秘疗法（例如炽热的灯泡、磁铁以及东方香水）来治疗各种疾病。他还在伦敦建立起一所“疗养殿堂”，最引人注目的是一张通电的床（宇宙神力电磁床），它能释放磁场波，帮助治疗不孕者生育完美婴儿。听闻此事，上流社会人士蜂拥而至。但这种疗法带有些许色情意味，每每等到健康女神几乎一丝不挂地出现时，治疗才达到高潮。而这位健康女神不是别人，正是后来的汉密尔顿夫人。格雷厄姆也许是个骗子，却应该受到《经济学人》的特别尊敬，因为他那”宇宙神力电磁床“旧址就坐落在《经济学人》目前总部旁，可以俯瞰泰晤士河。

注：

1. Quacks Through the Ages：历代江湖郎中，具体文档可后台回复“江湖郎中”

2. a celestial bed宇宙神力电磁床，James Burke的CONNECTIONS一书的中文译作（阳曦译）p111页翻译成宇宙神力电磁床，衍生阅读 Dickson Wright’s celestial bed，链接如下：

https://www.everything2.com/title/James+Graham%2527s+Celestial+Bed

3. Lady Hamilton：汉密尔顿夫人，原名埃玛，埃玛的出身比较卑微。她生于1765年，是一个铁匠的女儿，两个月大时丧父。她由母亲抚养长大，没上过学，十二岁就当了女仆，但没当多久。一两年后，她在“健康神庙”当舞女。所谓“健康神庙”是一个苏格兰江湖医生詹姆斯·格雷厄姆开办的机构。那里有一张通电的床，可以给躺在上面的人施加轻微的电击，能够治疗不孕症。当然这是格雷厄姆医生的说法。他靠这种疗法发了大财。可以看看西西里爱情故事，其他衍生资料链接：

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emma-Lady-Hamilton

Once again miracle cures are all the rage, not just in London but all around the world. Electric currents are out of fashion, replaced by yoga boot camps, meditation and veganism. To immerse himself, Schumpeter hauled his flabby body to Taryn Toomey’s The Class in New York, which invites its sometimes a-list, mostly female clientele to “witness their resistance to discomfort” by leaping around on a mat to thumping music . He threw his shoulders, sweat, spit and howls of agony and ecstasy about with the best of them, and felt quite brilliant afterwards. Ms Toomey’s mix of Dyonisian priestess and soothing guru helped. So, no doubt, did the underfloor crystals.

奇迹疗法再次风靡一时，不仅在伦敦流行，在世界各地也备受欢迎。电流疗法已是明日黄花，取而代之的是风头正盛的瑜伽训练营、冥想和素食疗法。为了能让自己沉浸其中，熊彼特拖着松松垮垮的身体来到纽约，参加塔林·托梅（Taryn Toomey）的课程。塔林·托梅有时会邀请一些一流学员，其中多数是女学员，来“见证自己对不适的抵抗”，她们会跟随着嘭嘭嘭的音乐节拍，在垫子上跳来跳去。熊彼特就跟着其中最出色的学员一起，甩开肩膀、肆意流汗、吐着口水，痛苦的哀嚎着，狂喜的尖叫着，跳完之后，顿觉神清气爽。托梅女士将狄奥尼索斯女祭司和抚慰心灵的古鲁合二为一，从而调节身心，所以这无疑是一种神秘的创新。

注：

1. Taryn Toomey：塔林·托梅，哈里·梅根的闺蜜，原来是时尚公司的高管，后来转行成为健身、瑜伽的老师。梅根5月份用王室Ins帮闺蜜塔林·托梅打广告引起热议，塔林·托梅的瑜伽课在加勒比海地区最好的酒店进行四晚的静修课程，售价3600美元（约24681人民币），讲真，小编觉得这个价格还好吧，毕竟是最好的酒店。哈里梅根竟然用官方ins打起了广告？

2. 狄奥尼索斯：古希腊神话中的酒神，参加狄奥尼索斯游行队伍的人基本上都是女性。她们在特定的时候身披兽皮、头戴花冠，吵吵嚷嚷、疯疯癫癫，完全沉浸在一种感性的肉体的陶醉之中。“希腊人以野外纵酒狂欢的方式来尊奉葡萄酒之神狄奥尼索斯。在此期间，女性崇拜者们通宵达旦地一边跳舞一边狂叫。”在这个活动的高潮中，不仅会出现狂欢酗酒、裸体游行之类的狂欢行为，而且还会有生吞活剥鹿、牛等残忍的举动。

3. 古鲁：指印度教等宗教的宗师或领袖

4. be all the rage : (informal) to be very popular and fashionable 十分流行；成为时尚；风靡一时 选自《牛津词典》

Welcome to the cult of wellness, a phenomenon of mind-and-body worship that is moving beyond the boutique to shake up industries from health, food and beauty to insurance and property. PwC, a consultancy, estimates that what it calls the market for “wellcare”, incorporating preventive health, nutrition, fitness and beauty, was worth $810bn last year

欢迎进入膜拜健康的时代，这种对身心的崇拜现象在向精品行业之外蔓延，开始撼动健康、食品、美容、保险及房产行业。据咨询公司普华永道（PwC）统计，健康市场去年估值8100亿美元，涵盖预防保健、营养、健身和美容等领域。

注：

shake up: to effect an extensive and often drastic reorganization of (merriam-webster)

可用来表达剧烈冲击或撼动

Is it just modern-day quackery , a hankering for any life-prolonging quicksilver, however unscientific and unorthodox? There have been alleged frauds—consider Theranos, a Silicon Valley firm founded by the silver-tongued Elizabeth Holmes, which raised more than $1bn to promote a blood-testing device which was later found to produce flawed results (a court case begins next year).

这会不会是场现代版骗术？它既不科学也不正统，但却利用了人们对延年益寿的渴望，就像古人相信水银能够延长寿命。该行业确实存在欺诈行为——以硅谷公司Theranos为例，该公司创始人伊丽莎白·霍尔姆斯（Elizabeth Holmes）能言善辩，巧舌如簧，为公司集资逾10亿美元，推广一种血液检测设备。但后来发现该设备的检测结果存在缺陷（法庭将于明年开始审理此案）。

注释：

Theranos是一家血液检测公司，公司位于加利福尼亚州的帕罗奥多，一度是生物科技行业的独角兽公司，因为声称提出创新的，只需少量血液即可进行的血液检查而闻名，最高估值90亿美元，后来已经解散。

伊丽莎白·霍尔姆斯（Elizabeth Holmes）：血液检测公司Theranos创始人。2015年时，《福布斯》因为公司估值90亿美元，将霍姆斯评选为全球最年轻、白手起家的女性亿万富翁，她也曾被《时代》杂志提名为“2015年前100名最有影响力人物”。次年福布斯将她的资产估值“从45亿美元更新为一文不值”。而《财富》杂志将霍姆斯称作为“世上最让人失望的领导者”。

商业周刊相关报道如下（上下滑动阅读全文）：

Some in the industry say they blend science with age-old healing methods. Take Gwyneth Paltrow, a Hollywood star, with her “psychic vampire repellents” and “Goop-approved lubes”.

一些业内人士表示，他们将科学与古老的治疗方法相结合。譬如好莱坞影星格温尼斯·帕特洛（Gwyneth Paltrow）就使用了“吸血鬼防护喷雾”（可以隔离有害的气场，防止别人对你的情绪伤害。定价27美元。）和“Goop公司认证的润滑剂”。

注：

Goop匪夷所思的鬼扯产品：

「Goop」的产品开箱文装的大约都是这些令人匪夷所思的产品：

阴道蒸汽组：用热蒸气洁淨女性生殖器中的不洁物。定价55美元。

性爱药草汁：加进牛奶、茶或果汁中，可以增加刺激性爱能量。定价38美元。

吸血鬼防护喷雾：可以隔离有害的气场，防止别人对你的情绪伤害。定价27美元。

紫水晶水壶：水壶中的紫水晶可以对水灌输正能量。定价84美元。

黄金哑铃：18K黄金製作的健身哑铃。定价5万美元。

身体气场贴片：NASA开发的传导性探材质，可以用来平和身体各器官的能量频率。24片定价120美元。

参考链接如下：葛妮丝派特洛因为贩售「蛋蛋」挨告？https://everylittled.com/article/104148

Big business is lunging into action. In the pharmaceuticals industry, GSKIS merging its consumer-health businesses with that of Pfizer, a big rival, to create a $12.7bn powerhouse to take advantage of the trend for over-the-counter self-care (think headache tablets), as opposed to prescription drugs. Nestlé and Danone, European food giants, are increasingly mindful of selling healthier fare. Brazil’s direct-sales cosmetics firm, Natura, has just agreed to acquire Avon Products, its 133-year-old London-based rival, to strengthen its grip on the door-to-door beauty business. CVS, an American pharmacy chain, hopes to install 1,500 “Health hubs” by the end of 2021, including “care concierges”, dieticians and yoga rooms, to monitor people’s wellness and save on the hospital bills for its newly acquired insurance company, Aetna. Life insurers such as 156-year-old John Hancock in America are tying their policies to the use of fitness-tracking devices. In Asia life-insurance companies are offering policyholders health-care tips.

大型企业伺机而动。在生物制药产业，葛兰素史克（GSKIS）与其主要竞争对手辉瑞（Pfizer）都发现公众对于用作自我调理的非处方药（如止痛片）日益重视，处方药市场则相形见绌，因此两家公司将各自的消费者健康业务合并，打造出一个价值127亿美元的联合体。欧洲食品巨头雀巢（Nestlé）和达能（Danone）也日益重视健康食品的销售。巴西直销化妆品公司Natura则刚刚同意收购它的竞争对手——总部位于伦敦拥有133年历史的雅芳（Avon Products）公司——以增强上门美容业务的实力。美国连锁药店CVS希望在2021年之前打造1500个“健康中心”，配备“保健礼宾部”，营养师，瑜伽室等，以监测人们的健康状况，同时也能为新收购的安泰保险金融集团（Aetna）省下大笔医疗费。寿险公司也在利用健康追踪设备捆绑销售保险，例如拥有156年历史的约翰汉考克人寿保险公司（John Hancock）。亚洲各家寿险公司也在为投保人提供医疗保健建议。

注：

1.Avon：雅芳卖身？这个一千亿的教训将永垂史册！

2.巴西直销化妆品公司Natura收购雅芳：雅芳卖身巴西美妆巨头

Asset markets are perking up, too. Todd Caruso of CBRE, a property firm, says large gyms are replacing department stores as the anchor tenants in shopping malls. By far the most sizzling initial public offering (IPO) of the year has been that of Beyond Meat, which makes healthy plant-based burgers; its shares have soared six fold since May 1st. Peloton, which sells exercise bikes to the well-heeled, last month filed confidential documents for an IPO.

资产市场也活跃起来。房产经纪公司世邦魏理仕（CBRE）的托德·卡鲁索（Todd Caruso）表示，大型健身房正在取代百货商店，成为购物商场的主要租户。目前为止，年度最炙手可热的首次公开募股当属制作素食汉堡的超越肉类公司（Beyond Meat）。该公司自5月1日开始，股价已飙升6倍。上个月，向富人销售健身脚踏车的Peloton公司已经提交首次公开募股的保密文件。

Smart money, then, appears to be flowing with the endorphins. But there are other reasons to take the latest trend seriously. In health, prevention is better than cure. Yet for most of the 20th century, sickness was prioritized over wellness. Private health was mostly a business-to-business enterprise, involving hospitals, insurers, drug firms and employers. Patients needed lots of, well, patience. Adverts for fatty foods were interspersed with those for fat-busting medicines, fuelling a sickness culture. Surgeons were pillars of society, herbalists the loony fringe. The health-care provider, not the customer, was always right.

投资资金似乎和内啡肽一起流动（投资者似乎在进行冲动投资），但也有其他原因严肃对待这种新趋势。谈到健康，预防重于治疗。话虽如此，但对于生活在20世纪的多数人而言，治病大于养生。私人医疗主要是公对公产业，涉及医院、保险公司、制药公司和雇主多方，病人处理相关事宜需要极大耐心。高脂肪食物的广告经常和减肥药广告穿插出现，形成一种病态的文化。外科医生是社会的中流砥柱，草药医生则是疯疯癫癫的边缘人。医疗保健提供者永远是对的，而消费者就不一定了。

Today, the customers are taking back control. This may be because they are sick of the over-stretched health-care system, cannot afford it, can use the internet to self-diagnose and are more aware of the dangers of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity and stress. It may also be because they are more body-obsessed, on account of Instagramming, even while doing the Downward Dog.

而今，消费者正夺回控制权。可能是过度扩张的医疗体系导致他们难堪重负，转而利用互联网自我诊断；而且，越发意识到生活方式带来的疾病风险，例如肥胖和压力。当然，也可能是对自己的身材更加痴迷，以致在做下犬式时，也会拍照片发到Instagram上。

Business trends are encouraging the shift. The lines between industries such as Big Pharma and Big Food are blurring—witness the growth of nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Globalization is fusing cultures. Mindfulness comes from Buddhism. The 3,000-year-old Indian tradition of Ayurvedic balance between mind, body and spirit is popular among Delhi’s yuppies. Turmeric lattes are sipped by Brooklyn hipsters. And through it all runs technology: fitness, stress-relief and health apps are now central to the growth of wearable devices such as smart watches.

商业发展趋势推动着这种转变。大型制药公司和大型食品企业等行业间的界线在变得模糊不清，从营养保健品和药妆品的快速发展中，便知一二。全球化正在将各种文化融合在一起。“正念”这个概念源于佛教。流传3000年之久的印度传统医学“阿育吠陀”注重思想、身体、精神三者之间的平衡，这一观点在德里的雅皮士中极受欢迎。布鲁克林潮人呷着姜黄拿铁咖啡。在此之中，科技贯穿万物。智能手表等可穿戴设备的发展离不开健身、减压和健康应用程序。

If it quacks like a duck

鱼目混珠，真假难辨

The bigger the business of mind and body becomes, the more likely it will be regulated and quality-controlled. That is a good thing. But watch out for impostors. A recent study suggests there is no evidence vitamins or minerals slow cognitive decline or dementia—despite what is often claimed on the tin. Health apps have the potential to misuse data, exacerbate eating disorders and keep people permanently on a treadmill. As society ages, the promise of eternal youth becomes all the more seductive. When you are invited to a Temple of Health, think twice before entering. 

身心健康产业的规模越大，就越可能受到质量管控和法律监管。这是一件好事。但仍要小心“冒牌货” 。最近的一项研究表明：尽管瓶瓶罐罐上常写着“维生素或矿物质可减缓认知能力的下降或痴呆”，但没有任何证据可证实这一点。健康应用程序有可能滥用数据，加重饮食失调症，将人们死死拴在跑步机上，一刻也不得停歇。随着人口老龄化，永葆青春的承诺变得更加诱人。当您受邀进入“疗养殿堂”时，请三思而后行。