Weird question but

[HY35F2T]

When was the first reported case of cancer?I never hear about ppl getting cancer in the 50 or 60's.Was it cuz all they had was a stethoscope?

[Doc Brown]

Maybe back in the good ol' days they chocked it up to "natural causes".

[animal]

It's long been my thought that they simply renamed "natural causes" a few decades ago. How many people die of natural causes now?

[RanJer]

http://cancer.about.com/od/historyofcancer/a/cancerhistory.htm


The world's oldest documented case of cancer hails from ancient Egypt, in 1500 b.c. The details were recorded on a papyrus, documenting 8 cases of tumors occurring on the breast. It was treated by cauterization, a method to destroy tissue with a hot instrument called "the fire drill." It was also recorded that there was no treatment for the disease, only palliative treatment.

[Doc Brown]

Elderly, I'd imagine. It sounds kinder than saying "heart stopped due to old age". But you're right. Aside from them, I can't think of any other instance where that could be applied today.

[Prince Valiant]

Cancer has been known forever...the greeks were the first to really begin to classify cancers.

Detection of various types, particulalry early detection, is only a fairly recent phenomenon. Years ago, if it didn't manifest where it could be palpated or observed, the other two options were x-rays or exploratory surgery, the later being considerably more dangerous and with higher rate of fatalities than it has today.

Cancer in those days had much higher mortality rates because in many cases, if the cancer didn't get you, then the treatment did.

It's amazing the progress that's been made in even just 20 years...my grandfather died of lung cancer at 76, discovering it fairly late (despite a host of symptoms) in the course of the disease...today, he probably could have survived w/ rather standard treatment, if not extended and improved the quality of his life another 6-10 years easily.