AS EARLY as 1928, Papanicolaou1 demonstrated that malignant tumors of the uterus could be recognized by cytologic examination of vaginal fluid. The medical world paid little attention to this observation until his extensive, now classic, studies were published, in 1941.2 The reluctance with which his work was received has only gradually been overcome by an increasing number of confirmatory reports, particularly by Meigs3 and Ayre,4 as well as by many others. The procedure of recognizing malignant tumors from shed cells has now been firmly established as a valuable aid in early diagnosis. In addition to vaginal smears, this method of cytologic examination has been successfully applied to other organs, particularly the urinary tract, stomach, and bronchi.5
In principle, the technique can be used for the diagnosis of malignant tumors in all accessible body cavities and orifices. To my knowledge, however, it has not been applied