The History of Cancer: An Annotated Bibliography

Historian James. S. Olson has prepared a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of the history of cancer. The emphasis of this work is not so much on the medical aspects of cancer as it is on the historical documentation of the disease: its etiology, pathology, epidemiology, forms and manifestations, and the men and women who have distinguished themselves in the study and treatment of the disease.

The book opens with a section devoted to the historical background of our knowledge of cancer and important medical/nonmedical personalities. The next section deals with the etiology of cancer–its genesis, epidemiology, pathology, and research and control. The largest part of the bibliography is devoted to the individual malignant diseases. Olson concludes with sections on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, clinical services, and cancer institutions. The citations include books, articles from scholarly and general periodicals, medical and government publications, and primary and secondary sources. The annotations are descriptive. An important contribution to the study of medical history, Olson’s bibliography will be of interest to scholars, students and those involved in the medical and scientific study of cancer.