medical terminology

[angelly_bean]

man, i just learned how you say "pap smear" in spanish:
PAPANICOLAO!i felt like a dummy for not knowing but then again, it's not like your parents sit at home with you teaching you medical terminology when they teach you spanish! i work in a medical office for a breast cancer surgeon and the patient wanted to know if she would also get a pap smear

Comments

[noelia]

idk i've always known what it is because pap is just the short abbreviation of it.

[angelly_bean]

yes, but where does this "nicolao" business come from?

[noelia]

it's name after the dr that invented it, Georgios Papanikolaou. it's just because we are used to saying pap smear that's why you never noticed. everywhere else they call it papanicolao. sounds like something that hurts. haha.

[angelly_bean]

hee hee, it does! sounds like you're going to beat up saint nick or something.

thanks for the info, i didn't know the history behind it. yay internets! :)