Georgios papanikolaou biography of michael

Stockard demonstrated that, in the guinea pig, the histologic cyclic changes that occur in the reproductive tract during the estrus cycle also occur in the vaginal mucosa and can be detected by cytologic examination of vaginal smears. Papanikolaou then began examining the human reproductive system. His wife Mary, was a crucial partner in this research.

She was working in the same laboratory as an unpaid laboratory technician. Every day Mary provided a vaginal sample for the research. She also prepared her own samples in the laboratory for further analysis. She provided daily samples for twenty-one years, eventually encouraging her friends to also provide samples for the research. InGeorgios Papanikolaou realized that he could tell the difference between normal and malignant cells on the cervix by viewing smears on a slide under a microscope.

The participants were regularly tested to determine normal hormonal changes and to diagnose early pregnancy. InPapanikolaou told an incredulous audience of physicians about the noninvasive technique of gathering cellular debris from the lining of the vaginal tract and smearing it on a glass slide for microscopic examination as a way to identify cervical cancer.

That year, he had undertaken a study of vaginal fluid in women, in hopes of observing cellular changes over the course of a menstrual cycle. In female guinea pigs, Papanicolaou had already noticed cell transformation and wanted to corroborate the phenomenon in human females. It happened that one of Papanikolaou's human subjects was suffering from uterine cancer.

At a medical conference in Battle Creek, MichiganPapanikolaou introduced his low-cost, easily performed screening test for early detection of cancerous and precancerous cells. However, this potential medical breakthrough was initially met with skepticism and resistance from the medical community. Papanicolaou's next communication on the subject did not appear until when, with gynecologist Herbert Traut, he published a paper on the diagnostic value of vaginal smears in carcinoma of the uterus.

Inhe published another memorable work, the Atlas of Exfoliative Cytologythus creating the foundation of the modern medical specialty of cytopathology. This was the first screening test to diagnose cervical and uterine cancer. Papanikolaou was nominated five times for the Nobel Prizebut never won. This was likely due to the fact that the prize is rarely awarded for diagnostic tools, as well as due to the fact that a death of one of Papanicolaou's great admirers, who was a member of the Nobel Prize Committeeoccurred around that time and also due to the committee's reluctance to award a Nobel Prize for another cancer discovery following a former embarrassing award in to Johannes Fibigerwho claimed that worms caused cancer.

Inhe was also posthumously given an award by the United Nationsafter being nominated by the World Health Organization. In"The Papanicolaou Award", the highest award given by the American Society of Cytopathologywas established in honor of Papanikolaou and awarded annually since. InPapanikolaou's work was honored by the U. Postal Service with a cent stamp for early cancer detection.

Georgios papanikolaou biography of michael

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Papanikolaou resumed his studies, and in his new findings showed conclusively that such vaginal smears could indicate uterine cancer before any other symptoms had appeared. His findings then won total acceptance, and the "Pap test" for women helped cut the national death rate from uterine cancer nearly in half in less than 25 years.

Thereafter, Dr. Papanikolaou won international acclaim, but he continued his work at Cornell, where he completed a 48 year association. He then took over a research institute in Miami, Forida, which was named after him, the "Papanikolaou Cancer Research Institute at Miami. Papanikolaou died, at the age of In one of his last letters, he wrote to the Order of Ahepa: Due to my recent moving to Miami, Florida I have just received your announcement of the day campaign initiated by our great organization for the purpose of raising funds for our new Cancer Research Institute here.

I am very deeply touched by it and I can find no words to express to you my sincere appreciation and gratitude. Our Institute will be dedicated to research on problems related to the control of cancer, particularly through the further development and wider application of the method which was originally devised in our laboratory. However, he did not have the chance to inaugurate the institute himself.

He died suddenly of a heart attack on February 19, The institute was renamed the Papanikolaou Cancer Research Institute in his honour. Mary, his wife, continued his work in Miami until her death in He never received the Nobel Prize, but was nominated twice. He also received the Albert Lasker Award for clinical medical research in One of the most important examples is the famous Atlas of Exfoliative Cytology.

The book is considered by many a milestone in the science of cytology. In he and his wife were renting in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey. In he and his wife were lodging in New York, NY. In he obtained US Citizenship. He was a professor at Cornell College. Inthe U. Postal Service released a cent stamp in his honor [10]. On May 13,a Google Doodle honored his th birthday [11].