Pathology is the study of disease process with the aim of understanding their nature and causes. This is achieved by observing blood, urine, feces, and diseased tissue obtained from the living patient or at autopsy by the use of X-rays, and many other techniques.
These techniques are studied under Clinical Pathology. Clinical Pathology is thus the application of knowledge gained to the treatment of patients. The great human Pathologist Ruldolf Vircho is the father of Pathology.
Clinical Pathology is the key subject in the studies of paramedical sciences. It forms bridge between the preclinical sciences of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry on one hand and clinical branches of medical and surgical disciplines on the other.
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Study of pathology is divided into two parts:
1. General Pathology:
It deals with the general principles of disease. It is related to whole body.
2. Systemic Pathology:
It is the study of disease related to the specific organs of the body system.
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Terminology in Pathology:
i. Health:
Health is a condition when individual is in complete accordance with the surroundings. It is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.
ii. Disease (Disease—feeling of uneasiness):
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State of discomfort to the body is disease.
iii. Patient:
Patient is the person affected by disease.
iv. Pathology (Pathos—disease, logos—study):
Pathology is the scientific study of diseases.
v. Symptoms:
Symptoms are those which are narrated by patients and his relatives.
vi. Signs:
Signs are those which are observed by clinician or physician.
vii. Etiology:
It is a causal factor responsible for the formation of disease.
viii. Pathogenesis:
The mechanism by which the disease is produced is termed pathogenesis.
The laboratory plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of disease and therapeutic management of patients. The clinician depend upon the laboratory for the diagnosis of diseases.
The diagnosis of a disease involves examination of specimens collected from the patients which include urine, stool, sputum, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), other body exudates and biopsy material. The diagnostic tests of these specimens are carried out in the laboratory.