For 21 years, Mary Papanikolaou volunteered to have her cervix sampled and smeared by her husband to help with his efforts to create the pap test, which has been shown to reduce cervical cancer deaths by up to 80 percent.
For 21 years, Mary Papanikolaou volunteered as an experimental subject for her husband, climbing up onto his examination couch every day so that he could sample and smear her cervix.
[6] She was quoted as saying: "There was no other option but for me to follow him inside the lab, making his way of life mine" and also decided not to have children so she could continue collaborating with her husband.
[7] Partly through his wife's volunteer efforts, Georgios was able to determine that the monthly changes to guinea pig vaginal discharge that he observed in the lab could also be seen in humans.
To provide additional subjects for her husband's research, Mary Papanikolaou also held a party for some female friends, who agreed to have their own cervixes sampled.