Abstract
Evidence indicates that cancers are not new diseases, but have been present for millions of years. Skeletal remains of dinosaurs, having last lived on this planet 60 million years ago, have exhibited lesions compatible with the diagnosis of cancer. The earliest drawings or writings from many ancient civilizations in all parts of the world have provided descriptions of cancers. Bone cancers and urinary bladder cancers have been diagnosed in Egyptian mummies. Writings of Hippocrates contained descriptions and recommended therapeutic procedures for cancers. It is clear from these writings that ancient physicians were aware that cancers exhibited spatial and temporal characteristics of progression and ultimately led to death.
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Further Reading
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Bryan, G.T. (1994). Natural Histories of Cancers. In: Love, R.R. (eds) Manual of Clinical Oncology. UICC International Union Against Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-85159-9_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-85159-9_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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