SUBDIVISIONS OF PATHOLOGY

 General Pathology: general principles of disease

 Systemic Pathology: study of diseases pertaining to specific organs and body systems
 Subspecialties of Pathology
o Histopathology:
 AKA Anatomic pathology, pathologic anatomy, morbid anatomy
 Includes structural changes
 observed by the human eye- gross/macroscopic changes
 detected by light and electron microscopy
 3 main subdivisions of Anatomical pathology
 Surgical pathology: study of tissues removed from the human body
o Forms the bulk of tissue material for the pathologist
 Forensic pathology and autopsy work
o Includes study of organs and tissues removed at post mortem for
medicolegal work and for determining the underlying sequence and
cause of death
o Reconstruct the course of events how they may have happened in
the patient during life which culminated in death
o ‘the dead teach the living’
 Cytopathology: study of cells shed off from lesions (exfoliative cytology) and
fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of superficial and deep seated
lesions for diagnosis
o Hematology: deals with diseases of the blood
 Laboratory hematology
 Clinical hematology: includes the management of the patient
o Chemical Pathology: analysis of the biochemical constituents of blood, urine, semen, CSF,
and other body fluids
o Immunology: detection of abnormalities in the immune system of the body
o Experimental pathology: production of disease in the experimental animal and its study
o Geographic pathology: Study of the differences in distribution of frequency and type of
diseases in populations in different parts of the world
o Medical genetics: branch of human genetics that deals with the relationship between
heredity and disease
o Molecular pathology: detection and diagnosis of abnormalities at the level of DNA of the cell
 Advancements in molecular biologic techniques are being used in research and as
tools in diagnostic pathology

Pathology describes the abnormal or undesired condition, whereas pathophysiology seeks to

explain the physiological processes or mechanisms whereby such condition develops and
progresses. Pathophysiology can also mean the functional changes associated with or
resulting from disease or injury.
Reference:
 Mohan, H. (2010).Textbook of pathology (6th ed). New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers
Ltd.