Mechanisms of Disease 2 HC12: How did cancer become the emperor of all maladies?

HC12: How did cancer become the emperor of all maladies?

Overview

Cancer is the emperor of all maladies, the king of all terrors. The attention to and visibility of cancer is growing:

  1. In Greek and Roman times, cancer was visible but not so prominent
  2. More and more research of tissues is done
  3. Around 1900, cancer became a new interest → a public health concern
  4. The interest in occupational and environmental causes and complexity started growing

Cancer has become a more and more visible disease over the last two centuries. It has developed into the disease of modern times. The disease became a major object of medical, social, economic and political concern.

17th century

In the 17th century, breast cancer was seen as a female disease because only in women it was visible on the outside. Breast amputation was preformed, which had to be done very fast. Of course, men also had breast cancer, but they attributed the signs to something else than a tumor in the body. Breast cancer was connected with lust in sexuality because no breast cancer was found in nuns.

19th century

In the 19th century, a first turning point in cancer history occurred. It was stated that diseases weren’t located throughout the entire body, but could emerge from certain tissues and other parts. There was a localist approach focused on cells, tissues and organs. Doctors opened up a body and found tumors inside. Rudolf Virchow made an important statement: “all cells arise from other cells and malignant cells grow too fast”.

20th century

Early 20th century:

In 1900, the words cancer genetics and oncologist did not exist. Chemotherapy wasn’t present, but a cancer hospital was. Radiation therapy could already be preformed. In 1913, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) was established.

In the early 20th century, cancer increasingly became a public health problem. This formed a second turning point. It statistically came more to the surface because the life expectancy started to rise. People started thinking more about prevention and control and saw it as “an enemy we have to fight”. Several patterns became visible, such as apprentice chimney sweepers getting scrotal cancer. Between the 1930s and 1960s, surgery underwent huge developments.

Late 20th century:

After World War II, the complexity, risk and genetics of cancer became more and more visible. The erosion of cancer as a social taboo started.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, the relation between environment, behavior and cancer became increasingly visible. This formed a third turning point. For instance, smoking used to be very normal but caused many cases of cancers. Open minded doctors where needed, because the industry would put profit before health. They would create doubt about the relationship between smoking and lung cancer → “more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette”. Cancer was described as a single monolithic entity, which isn’t true.

Image

Access: 
Public

Image

Join WorldSupporter!
This content is used in:

Mechanisms of Disease 2 2020/2021 UL

Search a summary

Image

 

 

Contributions: posts

Help other WorldSupporters with additions, improvements and tips

Add new contribution

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

Image

Spotlight: topics

Check the related and most recent topics and summaries:
Institutions, jobs and organizations:
Activities abroad, study fields and working areas:
This content is also used in .....

Image

Check how to use summaries on WorldSupporter.org

Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams

How and why use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?

  • For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
  • For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
  • For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
  • For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
  • For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.

Using and finding summaries, notes and practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter

There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.

  1. Use the summaries home pages for your study or field of study
  2. Use the check and search pages for summaries and study aids by field of study, subject or faculty
  3. Use and follow your (study) organization
    • by using your own student organization as a starting point, and continuing to follow it, easily discover which study materials are relevant to you
    • this option is only available through partner organizations
  4. Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
  5. Use the menu above each page to go to the main theme pages for summaries
    • Theme pages can be found for international studies as well as Dutch studies

Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?

Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance

Main summaries home pages:

Main study fields:

Main study fields NL:

Follow the author: nathalievlangen
Work for WorldSupporter

Image

JoHo can really use your help!  Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world

Working for JoHo as a student in Leyden

Parttime werken voor JoHo

Statistics
1695