Dr George Papanicolaou was the inventor of the Pap smear test which can detect early cancerous cells in the cervix and has saved millions of women’s lives.
But it took a long time for the medical community to accept his research.
Dr Pap was helped by his wife who, as well as providing emotional support, took a smear test every day for 20 years to provide him with more evidence.
Witness History spoke to the couple’s great-niece, Olga Stamatiou.