Autopsies, done by

Harvey (1628), led to an As Morgagni had linked

understanding of the autopsy findings seen
1628 circulation of blood 1900’ with the unaided eye
with the clinical course of
through the heart and
body that had until then s illness, so Virchow
correlated microscopic
been a mystery.
Giovanni Morgagni of pathology to illness.
Padua did autopsies to This method not only
relate the patient’s allowed a better
illness to pathologic
findings after death. 1761 understanding of the
damage cancer had
1900’
This laid the foundation
for scientific oncology,
done, but also aided s
the development of
the study of cancer. cancer Body tissues removed by
the surgery.
development of the surgeon could now
anesthesia allowed
1800’ surgery to flourish and 1900’
be examined and a
precise diagnosis could
s classic cancer
operations such as s
be made. The
pathologist could also tell
the radical the surgeon whether the
mastectomy were operation had completely
developed. removed the cancer.
HUMORAL Lymph Chronic trauma
blastema irritation
THEORYTHEORYTHEORY THEORY THEORY
Hippocrates believed Life was believed to German pathologist Virchow proposed Despite advances in
that the body had consist of continuous Johannes Muller that chronic irritation the understanding of
4 humors (body fluids): and appropriate demonstrated that was the cause of cancer, from the late
blood, phlegm, yellow movement of the fluid cancer is made up of
bile, and black bile. parts of the body through cancer, but he 1800s until the
When the humors were the solid parts. Of all the
cells and not lymph, believed incorrectly 1920s, trauma was
balanced, a person was fluids, the most important but he believed that that cancers “spread thought by some to
healthy. The belief was were blood and lymph. cancer cells did not like a liquid.” In the cause cancer. This
that too much or too little Stahl and Hoffman come from normal 1860s, German belief was maintained
of any of the humors theorized that cancer cells. Muller surgeon, Karl despite the failure of
caused disease. An was composed of proposed that cancer Thiersch, showed injury to cause
excess of black bile in fermenting and cells developed from
various body sites was degenerating lymph, that cancers cancer in
thought to cause cancer. varying in density, acidity,
budding elements metastasize through experimental
and alkalinity. (blastema) between the spread of animals.
normal tissues. malignant cells and
not through some
unidentified fluid.