On the Nature and Structural Characteristics of Cancer, and of Those Morbid Growths Which May Be Confounded with It

The work On the Nature and Structural Characteristics of Cancer, and of Those Morbid Growths Which May Be Confounded with It by Johannes Müller, published in 1838, was a foundational text in establishing pathological histology as a distinct scientific field. Müller, a German physiologist and comparative anatomist, used microscopy to examine the cellular structure of tumors.1

His research focused on distinguishing cancerous growths from other morbid growths, emphasizing the importance of understanding their structural characteristics. This work contributed to the broader understanding of cancer as a disease involving abnormal cell growth and structure, a concept further developed by later pathologists who defined tumors as "semiautonomous growths of tissue". Müller's meticulous approach laid groundwork for future cancer research by highlighting the need for detailed microscopic examination of diseased tissues.12