The history of oncology 2009 edition

"This story of oncology is a fascinating one, but also a tale of wrong turns, chance discoveries, illusions, mistakes, and of many disappointments and sometimes a success."?

This quote is from the introduction to The History of Oncology. Its author, an emeritus professor of medical oncology, describes all aspects of the cancer problem from a historical perspective, from ancient times to the latest developments of our age. From this perspective, the story of how we have arrived at current methods of treatment is interesting reading for anyone involved in cancer treatment. The History of Oncology can also be inspirational for anyone engaged in cancer research.

This book began when the author was asked to prepare a lecture about the history of oncology. While preparing the speech, he found that there was not a single monograph describing the history of the field. However, there was a wealth of information scattered throughout the medical literature. These writings turned up some fascinating stories hidden behind ground-breaking studies and discoveries. Moved by these stories, the author was inspired to write this very special book.