Introduction to Pathology

Introduction to Pathology

1. What is it?

   • The study of disease
     • Etiology (Cause)
     • Pathogenesis (Evolution)
     • Morphology (structural changes)
     • Clinical significance (functional changes)
   • This helps with ...
     • Management
     • Complications
     • Prevention

2. History

   • "Animism" - the philosophhies of Plato (God/Devil)
   • Magic - primative thoughts
   • Humours - excess/deficiency (ca. 300)
   • Abiogenesis - spontaneous cause (ca. 1800)
   • Environmental - modern theory (1850-present day)
   • Genetic - molecular pathology (20th Centurary)
   • Methods
     • Autopsy - organ pathology (1761)
     • Light microscopy - cellular pathology (1854)
     • Ultrastructural pathology with application of electronmicroscopy (20th Centurary)
     • Immunopathology, molecular pathology, genetic pathology, quantitative pathology

3. Function of pathology

   • Serves as a bridge the preclinical subjects (anatomy, physiology etc.)
   • Provides a logical means of relating the knowledge of normal structure and function; to abnormal structure and funciton

4. Postmortem changes

   • Cell death which accompanies or occurs after death of th entire body (somatic death)
     • Postmortem autolysis
       • Self- digestion by enzymes
       • Postmortem putrfation
         • Decomposition of tissues by bacterial enzymes after death of the entire body
         • Rigor mortis
           • Stiffening of all muscles after death

5. Sub-divisions of clinical pathology

   • Histopathology
   • Cytopathology
   • Haematology
   • Microbiology
   • Immunology
   • Chemical pathology
   • Genetics
   • Toxicology
   • Forensic pathology
   • Learning pathology
     • General
       • Common changes in all tissues
         • Inflammation
         • Cancer
         • Aging
     • Systemic
       • Specific changes in organs
         • Goiter, pneumonia, breast cancer etc.

6. Etiology is no longer "one cause for one disease"

   • Multifactorial
     • Environmental agents
       • Physical
       • Chemical
       • Nutritional
       • Infections
       • Immunological
       • Psychological
     • Genetics
       • Age
       • Genes

7. Classification of disease

   • Developmental
     • Congenital
     • Genetic
   • Inflammatory
     • Trauma, immune, infections
   • Neoplastic
     • Tumours, cancer
   • Degenerative
     • Aging, neuroddegenerative

8. Techniques in histopathology

   • Gross pathology
   • Light micorscopy
   • Histochemistry, biochemistry
   • Immunohistochemistry
   • Electron microscopy
   • Cell cultures, medical microbiology
   • Molecular pathology

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