Pathology

"Pathobiology" redirects here. For the journal, see Karger Publishers. For other uses, see Pathology (disambiguation).
"Pathological case" redirects here. For the corresponding case in engineering, see Corner case.
Pathology
A pathologist examines a tissue section for evidence of cancerous cells while a surgeon observes.
FocusDisease
SubdivisionsAnatomical pathology, clinical pathology, dermatopathology, forensic pathology, hematopathology, histopathology, molecular pathology, surgical pathology
Significant diseasesAll infectious and organic diseases and physiological disorders
Significant testsAll medical diagnostic tests, particular biopsy, blood analysis, dissection, and other applications of medical microscopy
SpecialistPathologist
GlossaryGlossary of medicine
Pathologist
Occupation
Names
  • Physician
  • Surgeon
Occupation type
Specialty
Activity sectors
Medicine, Surgery
Description
Education required
Fields of
employment
Hospitals, Clinics

Pathology is the study of disease.[1] The word pathology also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatment, the term is often used in a narrower fashion to refer to processes and tests that fall within the contemporary medical field of "general pathology", an area that includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties that diagnose disease, mostly through analysis of tissue and human cell samples. Idiomatically, "a pathology" may also refer to the predicted or actual progression of particular diseases (as in the statement "the many different forms of cancer have diverse pathologies", in which case a more proper choice of word would be "pathophysiologies"). The suffix pathy is sometimes used to indicate a state of disease in cases of both physical ailment (as in cardiomyopathy) and psychological conditions (such as psychopathy).[2] A physician practicing pathology is called a pathologist.

As a field of general inquiry and research, pathology addresses components of disease: cause, mechanisms of development (pathogenesis), structural alterations of cells (morphologic changes), and the consequences of changes (clinical manifestations).[3] In common medical practice, general pathology is mostly concerned with analyzing known clinical abnormalities that are markers or precursors for both infectious and non-infectious disease, and is conducted by experts in one of two major specialties, anatomical pathology and clinical pathology.[4] Further divisions in specialty exist on the basis of the involved sample types (comparing, for example, cytopathology, hematopathology, and histopathology), organs (as in renal pathology), and physiological systems (oral pathology), as well as on the basis of the focus of the examination (as with forensic pathology).

Pathology is a significant field in modern medical diagnosis and medical research.

  1. ^ Herausgeber., Cross, Simon S., Herausgeber. Underwood, James C. E. 1942- (30 April 2018). Underwood's pathology : a clinical approach. Elsevier – Health Sciences Division. ISBN 978-0-7020-7212-3. OCLC 1043350646.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "-pathy, comb. form". OED Online. Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ Kumar, Vinay; Abbas, Abul K.; Fausto, Nelson; Aster, Jon C. (2010). Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (8th ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier. ISBN 978-1-4160-3121-5.
  4. ^ "Pathology Specialty Description". American Medical Association. Retrieved 5 October 2020.