The emperor of all maladies

By Despina Trouli

Hippocrates used the term “karkinos” to describe a tumor - the exact translations of “karkinos” is “crab“. Supposedly, a tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab, of its painful biting or of something that refuses to let go.

Lesson1: If you are on vacation and a crab bites you, don’t panic. Put your hand under hot water. The crab will eventually let go, because it won’t be able to breathe.

Lesson2: Go back to the roots. Please read Pulitzer prize-winning “The Emperor of all Maladies – a biography of cancer” (even if it is the only book you’ll read this year). It will blow your mind and cancer research will never be the same…

PS: Emperor of all maladies was also aired as a PBS series in 2015!

Links:

• Book review
• PBS series