The museum of George Papanicolaou, the Greek medical pioneer who discovered the Pap smear, has opened to the public in his hometown of Kymi, on the island of Evia.
President of the Hellenic Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas inaugurated the museum dedicated to the life and work of the eminent Greek physician and researcher Georgios Papanicolaou, who revolutionized the early diagnosis of cervical cancer with his discovery of the Pap test (known as Pap smear).
“The gratitude of millions of women—women who never met him and, indeed, may not even know his name—constitutes a tangible tribute to the man who developed the life-saving method for the early detection of cervical cancer through his renowned cytodiagnostic technique.” With these words, the President of the Republic, spoke of Georgios Papanicolaou at the inauguration of the museum bearing the distinguished physician and researcher’s name —located at the site of his former home— in Kymi.
“He chose to dedicate his life through creation rather than through a personal epic, however remarkable that might have been,” the president continued. “He chose the noble path of service over personal acclaim—and succeeded—because he was a truly exceptional man.”
“In the autumn of 1957, by then renowned worldwide, Georgios Papanicolaou returned to this place after an absence of forty-four years […] And today, in this very house, the doors are opening to the world’s first museum dedicated exclusively to his memory and his work,” Tasoulas said, noting that few people in history can claim to have gifted millions of their fellow human beings the most precious gift of all: life.
“Papanicolaou did just that. The method bearing his name—the Pap test—revolutionized the early diagnosis of cancer. It has saved, and continues to save, countless women’s lives in every corner of the globe. Future generations will come here to discover, through those very microscopes, the magic of science and research, the President continued. “And this place will inspire visitors from around the world with the example of a man who dedicated his life to science and humanity.”
First steps
Dr. Georgios Papanicolaou was born in Kymi on May 13, 1883, the third of four children. His father, a well-known physician, senator, and mayor in their town, wanted George to follow in his footsteps and pursue a medical career. The young Papanicolaou initially rejected this idea and first attended the University of Athens, where he earned a degree in humanities and studied music as a violinist.
Later, he returned to the University of Athens to fulfill his father’s wish to attend medical school, graduating with top honors in 1904. After graduating, he briefly worked as an assistant surgeon in the military and as a practitioner for leprosy patients. However, he soon realized that he did not enjoy practicing medicine and decided to shift his focus to research. This decision prompted him to pursue a PhD in zoology, which he earned in 1910 from the University of Munich.
During his doctoral studies, he worked under Dr. Ernst Haeckel, one of the earliest supporters of Darwinism, and Professor August Weismann, an early geneticist. Shortly after earning his PhD, he met and married his wife, Mary. Due to the limited academic opportunities in Athens, Dr. Papanicolaou explored other endeavors in Europe before he and his wife chose to emigrate to the United States in search of greater research opportunities. Throughout the nearly 50 years of dedication to his work, Mary supported Dr. Papanicolaou in his research, even serving as his test subject and becoming one of the first individuals to receive a Pap smear.
The great discovery
In 1920, he shifted his focus on cytology research to the human reproductive system. He concentrated on studying the various cytological changes in the vaginal epithelium and their relationship to ovulation cycles. He collected data by performing vaginal smears on his subjects, using a speculum to visualize and collect samples from the cervix.
Incidentally, he found that cancerous cells appeared abnormal with distinctively appearing nuclei. He started by collecting samples from women at the New York Women’s Hospital in New York City, where he confirmed that his technique could successfully detect malignant cells from just a smear and a swab. His technique was met with skepticism for several years. Then he conducted a clinical trial at New York Hospital, ensuring that every woman attending a gynecology visit underwent a Pap smear. Through this trial, Dr. Papanicolaou identified several cases of cervical and uterine cancer that would have otherwise gone undiagnosed. Some of these tumors were asymptomatic and not visible to the naked eye.
Without Dr. Papanicolaou’s innovative Pap smear test, they likely would have progressed beyond the point of treatability before being detected. The findings from this trial were published in 1941. In 1943, he published his findings of over 3,000 cases in an illustrated monograph: “Diagnoses of uterine cancer by the vaginal smear”. These works demonstrated the preparation of vaginal and cervical smears, which showed a variety of cytologic changes in the menstrual cycle and of various pathologies of the vagina and cervix, especially that of cervical or endometrial cancer. Over time, continued studies further proved the efficacy of his technique. The Pap smear became standard in women’s healthcare settings by the late 1940s and greatly decreased the incidence of deaths due to cervical cancer.
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