cancer

Term: cancer

Origin: Anc Greek καρκίνος/carkinos(=crab)

Καρκίνος > κρατύνω+κινώ (= hard+move)

Coined: by Hippocrates (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC) who noted similarity of crabs to some tumors and especially he used the Greek words carcinos" and "carcinoma" to refer to chronic ulcers and σκίρρος/"squirr(h)e(=cobblestone ) to refer to a type of epithelium  cancer with a hard consistency. Celsus(ca25ΒC-ca50) used the Greek term κακοήθεια/"cacoethes(bad+ character)  to refer to early-stage tumours. Galien (130-200) used the Greek term "oncos" to refer to a tumour that looked malignant using also the term carkinona and cancer for breast cancer as "the swollen veins surrounding a tumour resembled a crab;s limbs".

Definition:

A group of diseases which are characterised by abnormal and  uncontrolled growth through their division. Cancer cells  tend to invade surrounding tissue leading to malignancy.

Runon derivatives :

comments:

«Οι καρκινώδεις όγκοι εν άπασι τοις μορίοις γίνονται. Μάλιστα δε τοις τιτθοίς (μαστοίς) των γυναικών», (Galien, έκδ. G. C. Kuehn, τόμ. ΧV, 331).