Introduction to

Pathology
一、 History of Pathology
Autopsy → Organ pathology (1761)

LM → Cellular pathology (1854)

Ultrastructural pathology with the application

of EM (20 century 60s)

Immunopathology, Molecular pathology,

Genetic pathology, Quantitative pathology

二、 The scope of pathology
1. The core of pathology:
The four aspects of a disease process that
form the core of pathology :
(1) Etiology: causes of the disease
(2) Pathogenesis: the mechanisms of its development
(3) Morphologic changes: the structural alteration
induced in the cells and organs of the body.
(4) Clinical significance: the functional
consequences of the morphologic changes.
2. Classification:
Autopsy
(1) Human pathology Biopsy
Cytology
(2) Experimental pathology

3. Position:
It’s a bridging discipline involving both
basic science and clinical practice
4. Text of Pathology:
(1) General pathology:
concerned with the basic reaction of
cells and tissues to abnormal stimuli
that underlie all diseases.
(2) Systemic pathology :
dedcribe the specific responses of specialized
organs and tissues to defined stimuli.
三、 Techniques of Pathology
1. Human pathology
(1) Autopsy
(2) Biopsy: surgical or diagnostic pathology
(3) Cytology: smear, fine needle aspiration
2. Experimental pathology
(1) Animal experiment: animal model
(2) Tissue and cell culture
四、 Observation and New
Technique of Morphology
（一） Gross appearance:
size, shape
weight
color
consistency
surface
edge, section
（二） Histologic and cytologic
observation:
most common and basic formalin fixed
→ HE (hematoxylin and eosin) stained

Hemangioma of ventrical wall

（三） Histochemistry and cytochemistry

PAS→BM
（四） Immunohistochemistry
1. Ag-Ab specific reaction
2. Applications
(1) Location analysis
cytokeratin→cell membrane
(2) Clinical diagnosis and distinguishing
diagnosis of tumor histogenesis
Leiomyosarcoma Actin (+)
（五） Ultrastructural observation
TEM (transmitting electron microscope)

Filtering membrane
SEM (scanning electron microscope)

Podocyte
（六） Flow cytometry (FCM)
1. One kind of cells→quantitative
2. DNA ploidy analysis
3. Protein nucleus acid→quantitative
analysis
4. Selection of collection of cells
（七） Image analysis (IA)
Nuclei: diameter; circumference; area;
volume; morphology

（八） Laser scanning confocal

microscope (LSCM)
aliving cell→observation in situ or
development or quantitative
（九） Molecular biology technique

1. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

2. DNA sequencing
3. Biochip technique
(1) Gene chip (DNA chip)
(2) Protein chip (protein microarray)
(3) Tissue chip (tissue microarray)
Polymerase
chain
reaction
(PCR)