Who Discovered Melanoma?

John Hunter was actually the first to come in direct contact with the cancer during surgery in 1787. At the time, he did not know what it actually was and described it as a type of cancerous fungus. The tumor that was removed was then preserved and not looked at under a microscope until the year 1968, where they then found it to be melanoma.

 

Melanoma Word Origination

 

The term melanoma did not come from the person who discovered melanoma; rather, it came from a French Physician named Rene Laennic. This is the first doctor to ever call it a disease. This finding was officially published in the year 1806.

 

In 1840, Samuel Cooper found that the disease is incurable once past the first stages. His theory has held, in large part, true today.

 

Thanks to Henry Oliver Lancaster, who first discovered that the cancer was caused by and excelled itself under sunlight, or latitude, we were able to prevent some occurrences by educating people on protective sun care.

 

The Person Who Discovered Melanoma Led to Many More Findings

 

After the first person took a look at what we know now as melanoma, many scientists and researchers have taken a deeper look into why it is so deadly and what the main causes are. For the most part, they have come to two main conclusions. Heredity plays a huge role in whether or not someone can get melanoma. History of melanoma increases a person’s chances greatly. The other factor that was discovered is that sunlight is the number one natural cause of melanoma. Without proper sun care, a person can develop melanoma and not know it until years later, where it may be too late.

 

In most cases, this is not the situation. For the most part, people will notice that they have a mole, and will really notice if that mole grows in size. There are an abundance of useful resources, including the internet that can help define if a person is at risk for melanoma and the proper procedures to take. The best way to deal with this situation if unsure is to see a doctor.

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- Recommended Resource -

 

Melanoma Skin Cancer Advice: "How I survived melanoma skin cancer and how YOU can too!"

 

7 survivors of Melanoma tell their inspiring tales of how they beat Melanoma even at Stage 4....and how you can too...

 

 

 

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