This chapter analyzes the oral squamous cell carcinoma of American Civil
War hero Ulysses Grant. Today, the deleterious effects of the use of alcohol and
tobacco are well documented and many forms of oral cancer can now be treated very
successfully if diagnosed at an early stage. Such was not the case in the nineteenth
century. Grantʼs case illustrates both the need for early detection of head and neck
cancers and the importance of the public understanding the harmful effects of tobacco
and alcohol.
Keywords: American Civil War, biopsy, epithelioma, exophytic, hypoepiglottic
ligament, leukoplakia, lymph nodes, nicotine, optical diagnosis, oral cancer, oral
medicine, photodynamic diagnosis, squamous cell carcinoma, oral pathology.
