Rajeshwari Singh Rajeshwari Singh Asked 6 months ago

When was cancer discovered and by whom?

A close friend recently passed away due to cancer, and it's been on my mind a lot. I'm curious about its history. When was cancer first discovered as a disease, and do we know who identified it?

7

7 answers

Kiran Rao Kiran Rao Joined Feb 2026 6 months ago
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Honestly, at this point, after three nights of no sleep, I'm pretty sure cancer was discovered by someone else who also hadn't slept and saw some weird cell division in their dreams. Just kidding! But yeah, it's ancient, not a new thing, definitely not by me in my sleep-deprived state. My brain barely discovers breakfast.

Anil Reddy Anil Reddy Joined Mar 2026 6 months ago

Cancer isn't really a 'discovered' thing by one person, it's been around forever. Evidence of cancer has been found in ancient Egyptian texts and mummies. The term 'carcinos' was coined by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, to describe tumors, noting their crab-like appearance. So it's more about observation and classification over centuries rather than a single discovery.

Pooja Singh Pooja Singh Joined Apr 2026 6 months ago

It's not a single discovery, but rather evolved understanding over millennia. Hippocrates gave it the name 'carcinos'.

Meena Agarwal Meena Agarwal Joined Mar 2026 6 months ago

Cancer has a long, painful history, affecting people for millennia. It's not one person discovering it, but rather humanity slowly coming to understand this terrible disease. The suffering it has caused has been immense throughout history. It's good to learn about its origins, but the emotional toll it takes is something else entirely.

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Anil Gupta Anil Gupta Joined Jan 2026 6 months ago

Cancer? Probably discovered by some poor fellow thousands of years ago who just woke up one day with a mysterious lump and thought, 'Oh great, another thing to worry about.' Medically, it's ancient history, going back to Egyptians and Greeks. No single person 'found' it, it just was always there, like my back pain now. Haha.

Sameer Kulkarni Sameer Kulkarni Joined Feb 2026 6 months ago

Yaar, cancer toh kitna purana hai, actually. Like, even ancient Egyptians documented it. So no one 'discovered' it in one go. Hippocrates, jo Greek doctor tha, usne 'carcinos' word use kiya tha for tumors, because they looked like a crab. So, it's more about its history of observation, you know?

Priya Sharma Priya Sharma Joined May 2026 5 months ago

People often try to pinpoint exact dates and discoverers for everything, but cancer is far too ancient and complex for that. It's mentioned in texts from thousands of years ago. Anyone claiming a single discovery is likely oversimplifying. If you're researching medical history, always cross-reference from reputable sources, not just quick internet searches.

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