1. Surgical treatment of head and neck cancers in the ancient world.
- Author
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Kelly, J and Mahalingam, S
- Subjects
- *
CANCER treatment , *OPERATIVE otolaryngology , *CAUTERY , *HEAD tumors , *NECK tumors , *PHYSICIANS , *SURGEONS , *HISTORY , *TUMOR treatment ,PHARYNX tumors - Abstract
Objective:This paper attempts to chart the history of head and neck cancers and their surgical treatment, starting from ancient Egypt and concluding with Galen.Conclusion:The ancient Egyptians appear to have treated head and neck cancers with local applications. The ancient Greek corpus contains a reference to treating pharyngeal carcinoma with cautery, but the description is too vague to establish the diagnosis conclusively. The ancient Romans moved away from surgical treatments, with Galen establishing a prejudice against surgery that would last through the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
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