Knowledge Centre
Who Was Leonides?
March 2, 2010
Breast disease has been recognized by societies and cultures throughout the ages. Medical history is peppered with documented intrigue regarding diseases of the breast, such as primeval stone engravings, Egyptian papyrus hieroglyphics or first century Persian medical encyclopedias.
In A.D. 180, Leonides of Alexandria is thought to be the first to discriminate between scirrhus and cancer in the breast, and to draw attention to nipple retraction as a sign of malignancy. Leonides ignored the Hippocratic injunction against operating and describes a procedure in which excision is alternated with cautery, which served to remove the cancer and control hemorrhage.1
The breast care and surgical techniques pioneered by Leonides were later detailed by Aetius of Amida. This eminent 6th century A.D. Byzantine physician's writings offered significant information, following the Hippocratic and mainly the Hellenistic and Roman traditions, influenced also by Islamic and European medicine. Through them he forged the foundational roots of the specialty of gynecology.2
The story of how uncertian causes and confusion over treatments remains a part of the legacy associated of breast diseases, even into the 21st century. However, it was Leonides, who after carefully examining the nature and treatment of breast diseases such as cancer, sought out a procedural method whose aim was not to merely treat, but to eradicate the illness.3
Despite the complex nature of diseases of the breast, especially cancer, progress continues to be made. This coalition, named in honor of Leonides, seeks to bring together diverse individuals with a common interest in breast care to exchange knowledge and ideas on ways we can improve health decisions and quality of care.
Because knowledge is power, we invite you to join the discussion and share how collectively we can pool our bodies of knowledge, experience, and data to improve the quality of the care we provide to achieve what Leonides set out to accomplish...the eradication of breast cancer.
1 Weiss, L. (2000). Early Concepts of Cancer. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, 19(3-4), 205-217.
2 Lazaris, D. P., Laskaratos, F. J., & Lascaratos, G. J. (2009). Surgical Diseases of the Womb According to Aetius of Amida (6th Century a.d.). World Journal of Surgery, 33(6), 1310-1317. doi: 10.1007/s00268-009-9960-2
3 Papavramidou, N., Papavramidis, T., & Demetriou, T. (2010). Ancient Greek and Greco?Roman Methods in Modern Surgical Treatment of Cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 17(3), 665-667. doi: 10.1245/s10434-009-0886-6
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