History of Skin Cancer
Facts About Skin Cancer

It was only in 1804 that skin cancer was first identified as a unique disease.

Facts about Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in existence. However, it took many centuries for scientists to establish the link between strange blemishes on the skin and the death of patients.

This may seem naïve from our perspective, but in the past there was no reason to suspect that an unusual mole could be linked to internal disease leading to death.

Rene Laennec is the physician credited with first putting a name to the disease (more of this below). He discussed the issue in front of a conference in 1804 – however, science is typically slow to change, and it wasn’t until 1806 when his findings were published that the wider world became aware of the issue of skin cancer.

Although this event marked the formal scientific and medical recognition of skin cancer, there is another significant event recorded even earlier in skin cancer’s history.

In 1787, John Hunter surgically removed a lesion which was later confirmed to be a melanoma.

Radiation and Skin Cancer

Of course, an understanding of the history of skin cancer had to be preceded by a clearer understanding of radiation and its effects on the human body. Before extensive studies into radiation were made, the idea that sun exposure could have led to the development of cancerous tumors would have seemed unreasonable or even ridiculous.

Skin cancer is caused by too much exposure to UV rays. Humans typically come into contact with these rays most commonly in the form of sunlight (although artificial sources such as sun beds have the same harmful effects). The discovery of the existence of UV rays came in 1801 through the experiments of Johann Ritter.

As our knowledge of the effects of UV rays has grown, so too has our ability to prevent skin cancer. We know that the sun exposure should be limited, and anyone exposed to the sun for a long period of time should wear sunscreen. We also know that ozone in the atmosphere is largely responsible for absorbing UV rays before they reach the Earth, so areas of the planet where the ozone layer is thin are more at risk of skin cancer.

Rene Laennec

Laennec is the man remembered for first bringing the world’s attention to bear on melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Laennec was the first to lecture on this disease, and in fact the word “melanoma” itself originates from his work.

Of particular importance was Laennec’s work on metastases of melanoma – in other words, the spread of melanoma to other parts of the body, explaining how a mole on the skin could eventually lead to a patient’s death.

Laennec was also famous for his work on tuberculosis and for inventing the stethoscope.

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