American Experience 36x3 - The Cancer Detectives

The Trailblazers who landed the first blow against cancer.Thestory of how the life-saving cervical cancer test became anordinary part of women's lives is as unusual and remarkable asthe coalition of people who ultimately made it possible: aGreek immigrant, Dr. George Papanicolau; his intrepid wife,Mary; Japanese-born artist Hashime Murayama; Dr. HelenDickens, an African American OBGYN in Philadelphia; and anentirely new class of female scientists known ascyto-screeners. But the test was just the beginning. Once thetest proved effective, the campaign to make pap smearsavailable to millions of women required nothing short of atotal national mobilization. The Cancer Detectives tells theuntold story of the first-ever war on cancer and the people whofought tirelessly to save women from what was once the numberone cancer killer of women.