Follow the inspiring journey of The Cancer Detectives as they use their skills to uncover the truth behind cancer and fight for a cure through research and health advocacy.
PBS’ American Experience Profiles Pivotal Medical Trailblazers
The story of how the life-saving cervical cancer test became an ordinary part of women’s lives is as unusual and remarkable as the coalition of people who ultimately made it possible: a Greek immigrant, Dr. George Papanicolau; his intrepid wife, Mary; Japanese-born artist Hashime Murayama; Dr. Helen Dickens, an African American OBGYN in Philadelphia; and an entirely new class of female scientists known as cyto-screeners.
But the test was just the beginning. Once the test proved effective, the campaign to make pap smears available to millions of women required nothing short of a total national mobilization. The Cancer Detectives tells the untold story of the first-ever war on cancer and the people who fought tirelessly to save women from what was once the number one cancer killer of women.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has provided funding for American Experience and has also provided funding to support research for a book about scientific understanding of female anatomy. The Foundation had no editorial role in the creation of The Cancer Detectives.
#CancerResearch #HealthAdvocacy #FightForACure
