Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. Within biology but also a branch of medicine, it means specifically the study and diagnosis of the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs that underlie disease. Pathology as a field of knowledge hence forms the basis of the scientific reasoning behind the practice of medicine.

Scope of pathology

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The primary goal of pathology is the study of the four main aspects of a disease:

• Etiology: what causes the disease
• Pathogenesis: the mechanism by which a certain etiological factor causes disease
• Morphologic changes: the structural changes induced in the cells, tissues and organs
• Clinical significance: the functional consequences of the morphologic changes

Pathologists' work

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Pathologists are physicians whose residency varies from 3-4 years followed by fellowship training for most. Because the public rarely meets pathologists, their work is not well understood. Pathology is a large and diverse field that allows a pathologist to participate in multiple areas of the field or focus their scope to a specific area. Essential to everyday surgeries, pathologists are responsible for processing and reporting on all specimens generated during a given surgery. Tissue samples are taken from the submitted specimens, stained, and processed for microscopic evaluation. Microscopic examination searches for disease of any type and this information is returned to the surgeon via a pathology report. Pathologists are also responsible for laboratory specimens. They, along with medical technologists, process specimens at medical laboratories for interpretations. In other words, patients should know that what their doctor calls a "laboratory result" is not a number generated by a black box. Instead, it is the interpretation of the value by a pathologist or a technologist. It is also important to understand that a different laboratory might produce a different value on the same specimen. Pathologists are also called upon to perform autopsies. Autopsies represent less than 5% of the workload of a typical modern pathologist. There exists a subspecialty in pathology that allows for the training of medical examiners who wish to pursue forensics.

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Politics, Policy, Pathology and Hope WITHIN The Black Community: I ...: I OUTSOURCE the operation to the Hispanic ... http://bit.ly/c3PG1V
Mister_Minit (Shoe Watch Repair) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:59:02 -0000
Politics, Policy, Pathology and Hope WITHIN The Black Community: I ...: I OUTSOURCE the operation to the Hispanic ... http://bit.ly/c3PG1V
Greg Just talked to surgeon, all went better than expected. We'll wait for pathology but the Dr said procedure could have been curativ...
gregellis (Greg Ellis) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:56:31 -0000
Greg Just talked to surgeon, all went better than expected. We'll wait for pathology but the Dr said procedure could have been curativ...
@donloochie -advanced speech pathology, i only have 1 class today!
Simply_Jenise (jasminejj) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:31:44 -0000
@donloochie -advanced speech pathology, i only have 1 class today!
Health Update:: How long does it take to get... http://www.livewellsite.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-a-masters-in-speech-pathology.html
LiveWellSite (Dr. Johannes Garrido) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:20:20 -0000
Health Update:: How long does it take to get... http://www.livewellsite.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-a-masters-in-speech-pathology.html
is deep into a Marathon Tuesday (Physiology, Anatomy, Pathology)
michaelbmoore (Mike Moore) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:11:53 -0000
is deep into a Marathon Tuesday (Physiology, Anatomy, Pathology)
PATHOLOGIST: Welcome to new Pathology chair Anitha Kamath, MD. Tufts residency; training at Yale U. She joins Sin Hang Lee, MD
milfordhospital (K Warren) Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:09:58 -0000
PATHOLOGIST: Welcome to new Pathology chair Anitha Kamath, MD. Tufts residency; training at Yale U. She joins Sin Hang Lee, MD

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