Douglaston's Own: George Papanikolaou

George Papanikolaou was a pioneer in early cancer detection and invented the “Pap smear.” The doctor was born in Greece but, at one point, lived in Douglaston.

The doctor was born as Georgios Papanikolaou in Euboea in 1883.

He received his medical degree from the University of Athens in 1904 and, six years later, obtained his Ph.D from the University of Munich.

In 1913, Papanikolaou emigrated to the United States to work in the pathology department of New York Hospital as well as Weill Medical College of Cornell University’s anatomy department.

He first reported in 1928 that uterine cancer could be diagnosed by means of a vaginal smear.

At a medical conference that year in Battle Creek, Michigan, Papanikolaou introduced his screening test for early detection of cancerous and precancerous cells.

But his work was original met with skepticism from the scientific community.

In fact, his findings were not widely recognized until 15 years later following the publication of “Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by the Vaginal Smear,” which he authored with Herbert Traut.

He soon thereafter became known for his invention of the Papanicolaou test, which is commonly known as the “Pap smear.”

The test is used for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer and other cytologic diseases of the female reproductive system.

In 1950, the doctor was the recipient of the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

He moved to Miami in 1961 to develop a cancer research institute bearing his name, but died one year later.