![]() It was Scottish surgeon John Hunter (1728−1793) who suggested that some cancers might be cured by surgery. This laid the foundation for the study of cancer as well. Giovanni Morgagni of Padua in 1761 regularized autopsies to find the cause of diseases. Between 15th and 18th centuriesĭuring the beginning of the 15th Century scientists developed greater understanding of the workings of human body and its disease processes.Īutopsies, done by Harvey (1628), led to an understanding of the circulation of blood through the heart and body. Oncos is the root word for oncology or study of cancers. It was Galen (130-200 AD), another Roman physician, who used the term oncos (Greek for swelling) to describe tumors. Later Roman physician, Celsus (28-50 BC) translated the Greek term into cancer, the Latin word for crab. The description was names after the crab because the finger-like spreading projections from a cancer called to mind the shape of a crab. He is considered the “Father of Medicine.” Hippocrates used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe non-ulcer forming and ulcer-forming tumors. The disease was first called cancer by Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC). The description adds that there is not treatment for the condition. It describes 8 cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast that were treated by cauterization with a tool called the fire drill. It is called the Edwin Smith Papyrus and is a copy of part of an ancient Egyptian textbook on trauma surgery. Bony skull destruction as seen in cancer of the head and neck has been found, too.Īlthough the word cancer was not used, the oldest description of the disease is from Egypt and dates back to about 3000 BC. Some of the earliest evidence of cancer is found among fossilized bone tumors in human mummies in ancient Egypt, and references to the same has been found in ancient manuscripts. Several different parts of the body may be affected by cancer. Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancers have been known to mankind since ancient times. Ananya Mandal, MD Reviewed by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Editor) ![]()
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