• Question: when did the first person die of cancer

    Asked by anon-328815 to Ryan on 7 Jun 2022.
    • Photo: Ryan Devlin

      Ryan Devlin answered on 7 Jun 2022:

      That is a very interesting question. Since cancer has been around for as long as humanity has, then I suppose before records began. We do see evidence of tumours/cancers in mummified people, and in some paintings as well. If you want to learn more about the history of cancer, then a good book to read is “The Emperor of All Maladies”. It is one of the books that I spoke about on my application for uni.

Comments

  • Photo: Rachel

    Rachel commented on :

    Cancer has indeed been around since before humans existed (animals and plants get cancer too!) although obviously, it took a human to come along and call it “cancer”. The word cancer is actually derived from the ancient Greek word for a crab “Karkinos” because of how a solid tumor looks like a crab clinging onto the blood vessels and structures of the healthy organs. This is also from the book “The Emperor of All Maladies” which I can also attest to being a good read, especially if you’re interested in pursuing science.