In my previous post, I explored the history of cancer. Since we know it existed in ancient times, it follows that so did its name. In fact, the name "cancer" was coined by none other than the great Hippocrates (well, not the exact name but the root of the name).
Hippocrates in fact, used two terms, carcinoma and carcinos, to describe ulcerous and non-ulcerous tumors respectively. He named the tumors after Carcinus (or Karkinos), a giant crab in Greek mythology that was sent by the Goddess Hera to help Hydra fight against Hercules.
As to why Hippocrates chose to name the tumor after a crab is not quite clear but there are several theories:
- The hardness of a malignant tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab.
- The pain induced by a malignant tumor is similar to a sharp pinch of a crab's claw.
- The tenacity of cancer is similar to the determination with which a crab bites and grabs on to a person.
While all these theories seem plausible, the most prevalent theory is that Hippocrates named the tumors he saw in patients after the crab because the enlarged veins near the tumor resembled the legs of a crab. A side-by-side comparison of a tumor and a crab does seem to prove this theory right. Whatever the reason, thanks to Hippocrates' imagination, a tumor came to be associated with a crab for posterity!
Another physician, Celsus (28 BC-50 AD), who practiced medicine in Rome, later translated Carcinos into cancer, which is the Latin word for crab. The name cancer stuck and has been used to describe the disease caused by malignant tumors for over 2000 years. Incidentally, the original word carcinoma is now used to refer to a type of cancer, namely, skin cancer. And a carcinogen is a substance that can cause cancer.
Other words related to cancer also derived from the ancient Greeks. The famous physician Galen used the Greek word for swelling, oncos, to describe the tumors. That has led to the branch of medicine studying cancer to be called Oncology.
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| Image of a cancer tumor (left) resembling a crab (right) |
Another physician, Celsus (28 BC-50 AD), who practiced medicine in Rome, later translated Carcinos into cancer, which is the Latin word for crab. The name cancer stuck and has been used to describe the disease caused by malignant tumors for over 2000 years. Incidentally, the original word carcinoma is now used to refer to a type of cancer, namely, skin cancer. And a carcinogen is a substance that can cause cancer.
Other words related to cancer also derived from the ancient Greeks. The famous physician Galen used the Greek word for swelling, oncos, to describe the tumors. That has led to the branch of medicine studying cancer to be called Oncology.
So, as in so many of our daily vocabulary, most medical terms related to cancer are derived from Greek or Latin, making the study of Classical languages critical for any medical student!
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