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 Papanicolaou; 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 their number one cancer killer.
Official website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/cancer-detectives/
© 2023 WGBH Educational Foundation
#CancerDetectivesPBS
—
This program is made possible by viewers like you.
Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate
Subscribe to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanExperiencePBS
Enjoy full episodes of your favorite AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR
