George Papanicolaou
Developed the Pap test for early detection of cervical cancer, a crucial tool in preventive medicine.
Most quoted
"The most important thing in medicine is not to cure, but to prevent. And if you can't prevent, then at least to diagnose early. And if you can't diagnose early, then at least to treat effectively. And if you can't treat effectively, then at least to make the patient comfortable. And if you can't make the patient comfortable, then at least to make the family comfortable. And if you can't make the family comfortable, then at least to make yourself comfortable."
— from Attributed
"The best way to learn medicine is to practice it. The second best way is to make mistakes and learn from them. The third best way is to read my books."
— from Attributed
"I've always believed that the best way to treat a disease is to understand its origins. And sometimes, its origins are in the patient's mind."
— from Attributed
All quotes by George Papanicolaou (410)
The smear is a message from the interior of the body. We must learn to decipher it.
Prevention is a moral imperative for the medical profession.
The microscope does not lie, but it requires an honest and trained interpreter.
Time is the most critical factor in cancer. We are in a race against it.
My legacy is not in a quote or a prize, but in the millions of women who are alive and well.
The simplest tools, wielded with insight, can topple the mightiest of diseases.
Do not confuse the rare with the insignificant. A single abnormal cell among thousands is the most significant thing you will see all day.
The acceptance of the Pap smear taught the world that cancer could be caught early and cured. That idea is my proudest contribution.
Research is the slow, meticulous accumulation of evidence until the truth becomes self-evident.
I worked for twenty years before the world took notice. But the cells were there, speaking their truth, from the very beginning.
Contemporaries of George Papanicolaou
Other Medicines born within 50 years of George Papanicolaou (1883–1962).