Document And Entity Information (USD $) In Billions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 13, 2012	Jul. 01, 2011
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	dhr
Entity Registrant Name	DANAHER CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000313616
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 30.8
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		689,294,694