Where did the name "Cancer" originate from?

Question

The disease Cancer. Is it latin? Does it have anything to do with the zodiac sign? Is it an abbreviation for another word? Why isn't it called "Carcin" for carcinogens?

Answer 1

Origin of the Word Cancer

The origin of the word cancer is credited to the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.), considered the "Father of Medicine." Hippocrates used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe non-ulcer forming and ulcer-forming tumors. In Greek these words refer to a crab, most likely applied to the disease because the finger-like spreading projections from a cancer called to mind the shape of a crab. Carcinoma is the most common type of cancer.