[The introduction into France of cervical-vaginal smears]

Cervico-vaginal smears were quite difficult to accept when they were at first introduced in France, during the fifties, probably due to fear that cytology might replace surgical pathology, where as both methods may develop close together. At last, bridging the gap was accomplished by the pathologists and, nowadays, many cytopathologists have been trained and became quite clever. Obviously, clinicians cannot do without the method described by George N. Papanicolaou (the so-called Pap test). Although cervical carcinoma is the very one cancer that should have been eradicated, as complete recovery is the rule when the diagnosis is made in time, at the preinvasive state of the tumor, in France it is still responsible for 2000 annual deaths. Systematical target pollution screening should be organized, as well as in other countries and should become one of the main priorities into health care control