[Cancer in antiquity. Lessons of Celsus].
There is mention of "cancer" in many medical texts from Antiquity. An analysis is presented here of a passage from Aulus Cornelius Celsus, De medicina (V 28.2), dealing with cancer and its treatment. A confrontation has been attempted with Ancient texts on this subject and, also, some of the present advances in a new medical speciality: onco-archeology. As depicted by the Ancients, "cancer", very likely, was not different from what we know. All available data suggest that cancer, from the origins of humanity, was present all over the world but there is still no clear answer to the question of an eventual change in cancer frequency over the past 2000 years. A new field of research remains wide open to give answers to this crucial interrogation.
Fabre
André-Julien
AJ
D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy