TEDMED 2009
Eric Mead: The magic of the placebo
Eeic Mead: 神奇的安慰剂（安慰剂的魔力）
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科学研究发现给病人糖片和盐水针剂有比预想更大的疗效。换句话说， 安慰剂真的有疗效。在TEDMED的演讲中，魔术师Eric Mead通过变魔术来证明常人会对明知道是假的的东西有很强烈的反应。（警告：对于针刺或流血感到不适的观众不适合观看此演讲。）
Eric Mead - Magician
Eric Mead is a prolific magician, mentalist and comedian who worked his way up from doing magic on the street to appearing at exclusive events around the world. Full bio
Eric Mead is a prolific magician, mentalist and comedian who worked his way up from doing magic on the street to appearing at exclusive events around the world. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
For some time I have been interested in
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在相当一段时间我感兴趣于
00:20
the placebo effect,
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安慰剂的效力,
00:22
which might seem like an odd thing
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通常一个魔术师是不会
00:24
for a magician to be interested in,
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对安慰剂感兴趣的。
00:26
unless you think of it in the terms that I do,
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但是如果你从我职业的角度考虑,
00:28
which is, "Something fake
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那就是使一些假的事物
00:32
is believed in enough by somebody
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真实得使人们相信
00:34
that it becomes something real."
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这样它们就变成了事实。
00:36
In other words, sugar pills
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换句话说， 糖片
00:38
have a measurable effect in certain kinds of studies,
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在一些研究中有可以测量到的效应，
00:41
the placebo effect,
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所谓的安慰剂的效果
00:43
just because the person thinks
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正是因为人们认为
00:46
that what's happening to them is a pharmaceutical
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他们身上发生的是一种药物作用
00:48
or some sort of a --
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或者再给一个例子
00:51
for pain management, for example,
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为了镇痛
00:53
if they believe it enough there is a measurable effect in the body
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如果病人相信（他们服的是镇痛药物），药在他们身上就会有明显的效果。
00:55
called the placebo effect.
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这叫做安慰剂效应。
00:57
Something fake becomes
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假的东西变成了
00:59
something real
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真的东西
01:01
because of someone's perception of it.
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因为人们对它的认知。
01:04
In order for us to understand each other,
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为了我们能够理解对方，
01:06
I want to start by showing you a rudimentary,
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我想开始向你们展示一个初级的，
01:08
very simple magic trick.
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很简单的魔术。
01:10
And I'm going to show you how it works. This is a trick
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我也会告诉你我是怎么变得。 这是一个
01:12
that's been in every children's magic book since at least the 1950s.
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从50年代开始就在每个孩子的 魔术书里出现的简单魔术。
01:16
I learned it myself from Cub Scout Magic in the 1970s.
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我在70年代的时候从童子军魔法中学会它
01:20
I'll do it for you, and then I'll explain it.
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我先做给你们看， 然后再解释。
01:22
And then I'll explain why I explained it.
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最后我会解释我为什么要解释。
01:25
So, here's what happens.
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看，这是怎么变这么魔术
01:27
The knife, which you can examine; my hand, which you could examine.
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这把刀， 你们可以检查； 我的手， 你们也可以检查
01:29
I'm just going to hold the knife in my fist like this.
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我就这样把刀握在我的拳头里。
01:32
I'll get my sleeve back.
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然后我把袖子挽起来。
01:34
And to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve
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同时确保没有任何东西可以在我袖子里上下活动
01:36
I'm just going to squeeze my wrist right here.
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我就这样在这压住我的手腕。
01:39
That way you can see that at no time
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那样你们可以看到没有时间让
01:41
can anything travel, as long as I'm squeezing there
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任何事物活动。只要我压住这里
01:43
nothing can go up or down my sleeve.
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没有东西可以通过我的袖子。
01:46
And the object of this is quite simple.
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这样做目的很简单。
01:48
I'm going to open my hand,
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我将打开我的手掌
01:51
and hopefully, if all is well,
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希望， 如果所有事情顺利的话，
01:54
my pure animal magnetism will hold the knife.
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我的生理磁性会粘得住这把刀。
01:57
In fact it's held so tightly in place
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实际上，它粘得如此紧
01:59
that I can shake it,
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我甚至可以甩
02:01
and the knife does not come off.
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这把刀（它）也不会掉。
02:04
Nothing goes up or down my sleeve,
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没有任何东西在我袖子里，
02:06
no trickery. And you can examine everything.
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没有把戏。 你们可以查看所有东西。
02:09
Ta-da!
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好了！
02:11
(Applause)
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鼓掌
02:13
So, this is a trick that I often teach to young children
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恩， 这是一个我经常教给
02:16
that are interested in magic, because you can learn
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那些对魔术感兴趣的孩子的魔术， 因为你能学到
02:18
a great deal about deception by studying
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很多关于欺骗的技巧通过学习
02:20
this very -- even though it's a very simple trick methodologically.
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这个魔术－－尽管它是个方法上非常简单的魔术。
02:23
Probably many of you in the room know this trick.
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很可能现场很多人都知道这个魔术。
02:25
What happens is this.
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它是这样发生的。
02:27
I hold the knife in my hand.
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我手里握着这把刀。
02:29
I say I'm going to grab hold of my wrist
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我说我要握住我的手腕
02:31
to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve,
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来确保没有东西通过我的袖子，
02:33
that is a lie.
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这是个谎言。
02:35
The reason I'm holding onto my wrist
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我握住我手腕的原因
02:37
is because that's actually the secret
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正是这个幻术的
02:39
of the illusion.
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秘密。
02:41
In a moment when my hand moves from facing you
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在我手从面向你们移到
02:43
to being away from you,
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背向你们的时候，
02:45
this finger right here, my index finger is just going to shift
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这个手指， 我的食指就将移位
02:47
from where it is, to a position
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从这儿，到这个位置
02:50
pointing out like this.
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指向外侧。
02:52
Nice one.
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好的。
02:54
Someone who didn't have a childhood is out there.
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（看来）那边坐的人很多没有过童年。
02:57
(Laughter)
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笑声
02:59
So, it goes like this, from here, right.
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我的手指就是这样移的，从这里，对。
03:01
And as I move around my finger shifts.
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在我转动我的手时，我的手指也在移动。
03:03
And we could talk about why this is deceptive,
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我们可以谈谈为什么这个具有欺骗性，
03:05
why you don't notice there are only three fingers down here,
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为什么你们没有注意到只有三个手指在这下面，
03:08
because the mind, and the way it processes information,
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因为你的意识，和我们处理意识的方式，
03:10
it doesn't count, one, two, three. It groups them.
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它不计算一，二，三。 它组合它们。
03:13
But that's not really what this is about. Right? And then I open my hand up.
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但这不是我们今天要讨论的。对吗？那我再打开我的手掌。
03:15
Obviously it's clinging there, not by animal magnetism,
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很显然它被按在那，不是通过什么生理磁性，
03:19
but by chicanery,
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而是通过骗局，
03:21
my index finger being there.
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我的食指在那里。
03:24
And then when I close my finger, same thing,
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我再合上我的手指，一样的，
03:26
as I move back, this motion
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在我后转时，这个动作
03:28
kind of covers the moving back of my finger.
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一定程度上掩饰了我手指的后转。
03:30
I take this hand away. You give the knife out.
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我拿开这只手。你拿出这把刀。
03:32
There is a trick you can do for your friends and neighbors. Thanks.
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这个戏法你可以向你的朋友和邻居做。谢谢。
03:36
Now, (Laughter)
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现在，（笑声）
03:38
what does that have to do with the placebo effect?
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这和安慰剂效力有什么关系？
03:41
I read a study a year or so ago
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我一年前左右读过一个研究，
03:44
that really blew my mind wide open.
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这很开阔了我的认知。
03:47
I'm not a doctor or a researcher, so this, to me,
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我不是医生或研究人员，所以，这对我而言，
03:49
was an astonishing thing.
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是一件很让人吃惊的事。
03:51
It turns out that if you administer
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它显示如果你给病人
03:53
a placebo in the form of a white pill,
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一个安慰剂以白色药片的形式，
03:55
that's like aspirin shaped --
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像阿司匹林的样子，
03:58
it's just a round white pill -- it has some certain measurable effect.
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如果就是一个圆的白色药片，它有一定的可测量的安慰剂效应。
04:01
But if you change the form that you give the placebo in,
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但如果你改变你给的安慰剂的形状，
04:04
like you make a smaller pill,
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比如你把它作成小一点的药片，
04:06
and color it blue, and stamp a letter into it,
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并且涂成蓝色，刻一个字母上去，
04:09
it is actually measurably more effective.
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它居然会有更明显的可测量的效果。
04:12
Even though neither one of these things
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即使两个里面没有一个
04:14
has any pharmaceutical -- they're sugar pills.
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有任何真正的药效 －－它们都是糖片。
04:17
But a white pill is not as good as a blue pill.
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但是白色药片就是没有蓝色的效果好
04:21
What? (Laughter) That really flipped me out.
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什么？（笑声） 这真的让我很迷惑。
04:24
Turns out though, that that's not even where it stops.
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但事实上，那还不是终结。
04:26
If you have capsules,
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如果你用胶囊，
04:29
they're more effective than tablets in any form.
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它们比任何形式的药片更有效果。
04:31
A colored capsule, that's yellow on one end and red on the other
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有颜色的胶囊，一端黄色，另一端红色的
04:34
is better than a white capsule.
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比白色的胶囊更有效。
04:36
Dosage has something to do with this.
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剂量起到一定的作用。
04:38
One pill twice a day
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一天两次，一次一片
04:40
is not as good at three pills --
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没有三片效果好。
04:43
I don't remember the statistic now. Sorry.
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我现在记不清统计数据。对不起。
04:45
But the point is ...
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但重点是。。。
04:47
(Laughter) ... these dosages have something to do with it.
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（笑声）剂量和药效有关。
04:49
And the form has something to do with it.
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药剂形态和药效有关。
04:51
And if you want the ultimate in placebo,
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如果你想要极限程度的安慰剂
04:54
you've go to the needle.
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你需要注射针剂。
04:57
Right? A syringe with some inert --
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对吗？一个注射器含有
04:59
a couple CCs of some inert something,
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一两毫升的没有作用的东西，
05:01
and you inject this into a patient ...
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你把这个注射到一个病人身上。。
05:03
Well this is such a powerful image in their mind,
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在他们脑海里，这是一个如此强大的想像，
05:05
it's so much stronger than the white pill.
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它应该比白色药片要强很多很多。
05:07
It's a really, this graph, well I'll show it to you
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这真是一个很强的想象，等我有幻灯片的时候
05:10
some other time when we have slides.
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我可以展示给你们统计数据图。
05:12
The point is
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重点是，
05:14
the white pill is not as good as the blue pill
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白色药片没有蓝色药片好
05:17
is not as good as the capsule is not as good as the needle.
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没有胶囊好，没有针好。
05:20
And none of it has any real pharmaceutical quality,
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它们都没有真的药效。
05:23
it's only your belief that makes it real
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这仅仅是你的信念使它成真
05:27
in your body and makes a stronger effect.
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在你身体上，也造成更强的效果。
05:30
I wanted to see if I could take that idea
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我想看看我是否可以拿这个想法
05:32
and apply it to a magic trick.
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把它应用到魔法技巧上。
05:34
And take something that is obviously a fake trick
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采用一些明显是假的戏法
05:38
and make it seem real.
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使它看起来是真的。
05:43
And we know from that study
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我们从研究中知道
05:46
that when you want reality, you go to the needle.
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如果你想要实际效果，你采用注射针。
05:50
This is a seven-inch hatpin. It's very, very sharp,
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这是一个七寸的帽别针。它非常尖。
05:54
and I'm going to just sterilize it a tiny bit.
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我将把它消一下毒。
06:01
This is really my flesh. This is not
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这真是我的肌肉。这不是
06:03
Damian's special-grown flesh.
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戴米安的特买肉。
06:05
That's my skin right there. This is not a Hollywood special effect.
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这就是我的皮肤。这不是好莱坞特效。
06:10
I'm going to pierce my skin
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我将会刺入我的皮肤
06:12
and run this needle through to the other side.
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把这个针头穿过到另一边。
06:14
If you're queasy -- (Laughs)
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如果你容易紧张反胃－－（笑声）
06:17
if you faint easily -- I was doing this for some friends
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如果你容易晕－－我向一些朋友表演过
06:19
in the hotel room last night, and some people that I didn't know,
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昨天在宾馆里，有些人我不认识，
06:22
and one woman almost passed out.
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有个女人差点晕倒。
06:24
So, I suggest if you get queasy easy
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所以，我建议如果你容易紧张不安，
06:27
that you look away for about the next 30 --
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你最好在下面30秒里看别处，
06:29
in fact, you know what, I'll do the first bad part behind it.
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实际上，你知道吗，我会在它后面做一开始的坏的部分。
06:31
You'll get to see, you can look away too if you'd like to.
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你将会看到，你可以看别处如果你想的话。
06:35
So, here is what happens, right here,
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恩，这就是发生的，就在这里
06:37
the beginning of my flesh
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我皮肉的起点处
06:39
at the lower part of my arm I just make
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我手臂的下部， 我就造成
06:41
a little pierce.
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一个小穿孔。
06:43
I'm sorry, man. Am I freaking you out?
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对不起。我吓倒你们了吗？
06:45
OK, and then just through my skin a tiny bit,
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就穿过我的皮肤一点点
06:49
and then out the other side like this.
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在另一端这样出来。
06:52
Now, essentially we're in the same position we were in
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现在， 我们基本上和刀的戏法
06:56
with the knife trick.
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在同一个位置上。
06:58
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
07:02
Sort of.
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（差不多）
07:04
But you can't count my fingers right now can you?
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但你现在不能数我的手指了，对不？
07:07
So, let me show them to you. That's one, two
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所以，让我来把它们展示给你们。一，二
07:09
three, four, five.
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三，四，五。
07:12
Yes, well...
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是的，哦，
07:15
I know what people think when they see this.
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我知道人们想什么当他们看到这个的时候。
07:17
They go, "Well, he's certainly not dumb enough
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他们说，“哦，他一定不会蠢到
07:19
to stab himself through the skin to entertain us for a few minutes.
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刺穿他自己的皮肤来娱乐我们几分钟。”
07:22
So, let me give you a little peek.
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所以，让我给你们偷看一下。
07:25
How's that look out there? Pretty good.
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那看起来怎么样？很好。
07:27
(Laughs)
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（笑声）
07:30
Yeah, I know. (Laughs)
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对，我知道（笑声）
07:33
And the people in the back go, "OK, I didn't really see that."
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在后面的这些人说，“好。我并没有真的看到那个。“
07:35
People in the satellite room are starting to move in now.
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在远程屋里的人现在 可以移近。
07:38
Let me give you good close look at this.
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让我给你们仔细看看这个。
07:40
That really is my skin. That is not a Hollywood special effect.
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这真的是我的皮肤。这个不是好莱坞特效。
07:43
That's my flesh, and I can twist that around.
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那是我的肉，我还可以转动它。
07:46
I'm sorry. If you're getting queasy, look away,
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对不起。如果你感到恶心的话，看别处，
07:48
don't look at the thing.
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别看这个。
07:50
People in the back or people on video years from now watching this
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在后面的人或是几年后从录像上看到这个的
07:52
will go, "Well yeah, that looks kind of neat
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会说，“喔，那个看起来有点缺少
07:55
in some sort of effect there, but if it were real he would be --
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一些效果，但是如果这是真的他会
07:58
see there's a hole there and a hole there, if it were real he would be bleeding.
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看到这有个洞，这也有个洞，如果这是真的他会流血。
08:01
Well let me work up some blood for you.
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让我流点血给你们。
08:04
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
08:09
Yes, there it is.
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对，这就是。
08:11
(Applause)
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（掌声）
08:27
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
08:30
Normally now, I would take the needle out.
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平常这时我会将针头取出。
08:33
I would clean off my arm, and I would show you that there are no wounds.
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我会洗干净我的手臂，向你们展示我没有伤，
08:36
But I think in this context
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但我认为在这种情况下
08:39
and with the idea of taking something fake
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以这种理念，使假的事物
08:41
and making it into something real,
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变成真的事物，
08:44
I'm just going to leave it there,
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我就将停在这里，
08:46
and walk off the stage.
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走下讲台。
08:48
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
08:50
I will be seeing you several times over the next few days.
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我将在以后几天内再见到你们。
08:53
I hope you're looking forward to that. Thank you very much.
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我希望你们对此期待。非常感谢。
08:56
(Laughter)
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笑声
08:58
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Eric Mead - MagicianEric Mead is a prolific magician, mentalist and comedian who worked his way up from doing magic on the street to appearing at exclusive events around the world.
Why you should listen
As a child, Eric Mead says that he had a typical interest in magic. However, by the time he was a teenager, his interest had grown to a full-fledged obsession -- he was getting paid to do birthday parties and banquets in his hometown. He began street performing in 1985 and four years later was offered a job as “Magic Bartender” at the Tower Comedy/Magic Bar owned by John Denver. Working at the bar, as well as private parties and comedy clubs, he became well-known in the industry and went on to perform one of the most memorable pieces in The Aristocrats.
Mead is also known as the author of Tangled Web, a collection of magic and mentalism taken from his personal repertoire.
Eric Mead | Speaker | TED.com