Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 26, 2015	Jun. 27, 2015	Mar. 28, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 27, 2014	Jun. 28, 2014	Mar. 29, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013	Feb. 25, 2016
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Percentage of Total Workforce Eliminated										2.00%		3.00%		3.00%
Identified Future Restructuring Costs															$ 55.0
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues										$ 9.1		$ 327.6		$ 28.6
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										46.3		130.7		73.5
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										115.3		(598.2)		77.7
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net		$ 64.9	$ 40.9	$ 24.7	$ 40.2	$ 47.3	$ (88.2)	$ 231.9	$ (330.9)	170.7		(139.9)		179.8
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										90.7	[1]	253.7	[2]	81.0
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net										1.1		19.9
Loss (Gain) Related to Litigation-related Matter										24.7
Loss (Gain) on Divestiture of Businesses										(7.6)		(895.4)		0.0
Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										57.0		140.8		57.7
Abandonment of Excess Facilities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										19.1		10.5		10.3
Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs	[3]									14.6		102.4		13.0
Monetized Equity Awards [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net												19.6
Life Sciences Solutions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues										2.0		327.3
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										13.6		122.5		51.7
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										64.4		(516.4)		4.4
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										80.0		(66.6)		56.1
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										40.4		232.0		4.4
Loss (Gain) Related to Litigation-related Matter										20.0		9.3
Impairment of Acquired Technology in Development										14.9
Loss (Gain) on Disposition of Property Plant Equipment										(3.0)
Loss (Gain) on Divestiture of Businesses										(7.6)		(760.3)
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Costs associated with headcount reductions and facility consolidations [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										34.5
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										23.7
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Abandonment of Excess Facilities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										4.1		5.5
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										6.7
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Monetized Equity Awards [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs												91.7
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Transaction Costs Related to Acquisition [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										6.2		100.5		51.7
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Transaction Costs Related to Divestiture [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										0.9				4.1
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Charges for Changes in Estimates of Contingent Consideration for Acquisitions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										(1.7)		5.7
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Costs to Conform Accounting Policies [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues												21.4
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses												16.2
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Charges for Sales of Inventories Revalued at Acquisition [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues												303.4
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Accelerated Depreciation Related to Facility Consolidations [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues												2.3
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										9.1
Life Sciences Solutions [Member] | Charges For Cash Compensation Contractually Due To Employees Of Acquired Business [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										5.0
Analytical Instruments [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues										0.1		(0.8)		2.9
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										(0.3)		0.9		0.6
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										26.6		2.5		20.9
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										26.4		2.6		24.4
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										22.1				23.6
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net														(2.7)
Asset Writedowns										4.5
Loss (Gain) on Disposition of Property Plant Equipment												(6.0)
Analytical Instruments [Member] | Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														18.3
Analytical Instruments [Member] | Abandonment of Excess Facilities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														2.8
Analytical Instruments [Member] | Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														2.5
Specialty Diagnostics [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues										0.8		0.9		24.9
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										(0.4)		1.5		12.9
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										9.7		17.7		24.2
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										10.1		20.1		62.0
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs												18.7
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net												(1.0)
Specialty Diagnostics [Member] | Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs												9.5		17.8
Specialty Diagnostics [Member] | Abandonment of Excess Facilities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														2.8
Specialty Diagnostics [Member] | Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														3.5
Laboratory Products and Services [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Cost of Revenues										6.2		0.2		0.8
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										6.1
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										12.6		(121.0)		25.2
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										24.9		(120.8)		26.0
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										7.7		7.2		22.9
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net														2.3
Loss (Gain) due to Pension Plan Settlements and Curtailments												3.8
Loss (Gain) Related to Litigation-related Matter										4.7
Loss (Gain) on Divestiture of Businesses												(133.6)
Laboratory Products and Services [Member] | Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														16.4
Laboratory Products and Services [Member] | Abandonment of Excess Facilities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														4.1
Laboratory Products and Services [Member] | Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs														2.4
Corporate [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										27.3		5.8		8.3
Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										2.0		19.0		3.0
Total Restructuring and Other Costs (Income), Net										29.3		24.8		$ 11.3
Charges for Product Liability Litigation										19.4
Restructuring and Related Costs, Non-Cash Costs (Income), Net												17.3
Loss (Gain) due to Pension Plan Settlements and Curtailments												25.6
Loss (Gain) on Disposition of Property Plant Equipment												(9.6)
Corporate [Member] | Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Costs, Cash Costs										2.0		$ 1.7
Corporate [Member] | Accelerated Depreciation Related to Facility Consolidations [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses										$ 7.9

[1] Excludes $24.7 million of provision for losses on litigation-related matters; $14.9 million of impairment of acquired technology in development; a $7.6 million gain on the sale of a product line; $5.0 million of cash compensation contractually due to employees of an acquired business on the date of acquisition; $0.9 million of charges associated with a previous sale of a business; and an aggregate of $1.1 million of non-cash charges, net.

[2] Excludes a $895.4 million net gain on the sale of businesses, principally the company’s sera and media, gene modulation and magnetic beads businesses and the Cole-Parmer business; $19.6 million of cash compensation to monetize certain equity awards held by Life Technologies’ employees at the date of acquisition that was paid by Life Technologies prior to the acquisition; $9.3 million of provision for losses on pre-acquisition litigation-related matters of Life Technologies; and an aggregate of $19.9 million of non-cash charges, net.

[3] Other includes cash charges to monetize certain equity awards held by employees of Life Technologies at the date of acquisition, relocation and moving expenses associated with facility consolidations, as well as employee retention costs which are accrued ratably over the period through which employees must work to qualify for a payment.