Melanocytic Nevus - History

History

In the 1950s and 60s (and, to lesser extent, currently) a facial mole was known as a "beauty mark" when it appeared in certain spots on a woman’s face. Examples include Marilyn Monroe, model Cindy Crawford, singer Madonna, and the fictional Ms. Pac-Man. Madonna's facial mole—below her right nostril—has been surgically removed. Almost everybody has at least one or two moles somewhere on his or her body, while large numbers can be concentrated on the back, chest, and arms. Although they can be less noticeable because of the similar colors of the surrounding skin, darker skin shades have equivalent incidences of moles to lighter skin shades. Some folklore about moles includes the notion that picking at a mole can cause it to become cancerous or grow back larger. While chronic picking or irritation (by clothing) of a mole can be detrimental in many ways, it has not been associated with a higher incidence of cancer. It is recommended by physicians that a dermatologist examines a mole to see if it should be removed. The dermatologist or plastic surgeon can perform the procedure with an eye toward preventing a larger scar.

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    “We know only a single science, the science of history. One can look at history from two sides and divide it into the history of nature and the history of men. However, the two sides are not to be divided off; as long as men exist the history of nature and the history of men are mutually conditioned.”
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    “Certainly there is not the fight recorded in Concord history, at least, if in the history of America, that will bear a moment’s comparison with this, whether for the numbers engaged in it, or for the patriotism and heroism displayed.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “History has neither the venerableness of antiquity, nor the freshness of the modern. It does as if it would go to the beginning of things, which natural history might with reason assume to do; but consider the Universal History, and then tell us,—when did burdock and plantain sprout first?”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)