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And for that, you have Dr. George Papanicolaou to thank.
So, why are pap smears so important? And who is the man behind Monday's Google Doodle?
Pap tests help doctors detect and treat abnormal cells of the cervix – the lower part of the uterus – before they turn into cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, it can also help to catch cervical cancer when it is still small and easy to heal.
The organization recommends that all women start screening for cervical cancer at age 21 and have regular Pap tests every few years. The organization estimates that about 13,200 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year, and about 4,250 women will die from cancer.
Do not stop being tested. Cervical cancer tends to affect between 35 and 44 years, according to the American Cancer Society, and more than 15% of cases involve women over 65 years of age. A 2012 study found that regular smears increased women's chances of healing from 66% to 92%.
According to the organization, Hispanic women are most likely to contract cervical cancer in the United States, followed by African American, Asian and Pacific Island women and white women.
Papanicolaou was an immigrant
The man responsible for the trial, George Papanicolaou, emigrated from Greece to New York at the age of 30 in 1913.
He was originally from the Greek island of Euboea, according to the US National Library of Medicine. He decided to make the move in pursuit of better career opportunities. In New York, he worked as a carpet salesman, violin player, and newspaper clerk before taking a position in the Department of Pathology at New York University and the Anatomy Department at Cornell University Medical College, according to the library. .
In 1928 he was promoted to Assistant Professor at Cornell. He also became an American citizen that year.
About 15 years later, he published the book describing the simple procedure known as the Pap test.
He died in 1962 from heart failure and had authored more than 150 publications, according to the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology.
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