Thehistory of pathologycan be traced to the earliest application of thescientific methodto the field ofmedicine,a development which occurred in theMiddle Eastduring theIslamic Golden Ageand inWestern Europeduring theItalian Renaissance.
Early systematic humandissectionswere carried out by theAncient GreekphysiciansHerophilus of ChalcedonandErasistratus of Chiosin the early part of the third century BC.[1]The first physician known to have madepostmortemdissectionswas theArabianphysicianAvenzoar(1091–1161).Rudolf Virchow(1821–1902) is generally recognized to be the father of microscopicpathology.Most early pathologists were also practicingphysiciansorsurgeons.
Origins of pathology
editEarly understanding of the origins of diseases constitutes the earliest application of thescientific methodto the field ofmedicine,a development which occurred in theMiddle Eastduring theIslamic Golden Age[2]and inWestern Europeduring theItalian Renaissance.[3]
TheGreekphysicianHippocrates,the founder of scientific medicine, was the first to deal with the anatomy and the pathology of human spine.[4]Galendeveloped an interest in anatomy from his studies ofHerophilusandErasistratus.[5]The concept of studying disease through the methodical dissection and examination of diseased bodies, organs, and tissues may seem obvious today, but there are few if any recorded examples of trueautopsiesperformed prior to thesecond millennium.Though the pathology ofcontagionwas understood byMuslim physicianssince the time ofAvicenna(980–1037) who described it inThe Canon of Medicine(c. 1020),[6]the first physician known to have madepostmortemdissectionswas theArabianphysicianAvenzoar(1091–1161) who proved that the skin diseasescabieswas caused by aparasite,followed byIbn al-Nafis(b. 1213) who used dissection to discoverpulmonary circulationin 1242.[7]In the 15th century, anatomic dissection was repeatedly used by the Italian physicianAntonio Benivieni(1443–1502) to determine cause of death.[3]Antonio Benivieni is also credited with having introduced necropsy to the medical field.[8]Perhaps the most famous early gross pathologist wasGiovanni Morgagni(1682–1771). Hismagnum opus,De Sedibus et Causis Morborum per Anatomem Indagatis,published in 1761, describes the findings of over 600 partial and complete autopsies, organised anatomically and methodically correlated with the symptoms exhibited by the patients prior to their demise. Although the study of normal anatomy was already well advanced at this date,De Sedibuswas one of the first treatises specifically devoted to the correlation of diseased anatomy with clinical illness.[9][10]By the late 1800s, an exhaustive body of literature had been produced on the gross anatomical findings characteristic of known diseases. The extent of gross pathology research in this period can be epitomized by the work of the Viennese pathologist (originally from Hradec Kralove in the Czech Rep.)Carl Rokitansky(1804–1878), who is said to have performed 20,000 autopsies, and supervised an additional 60,000, in his lifetime.[3][11]
Origins of microscopic pathology
editRudolf Virchow(1821–1902) is generally recognized to be the father of microscopic pathology. While the compoundmicroscopehad been invented approximately 150 years prior, Virchow was one of the first prominent physicians to emphasize the study of manifestations of disease which were visible only at the cellular level.[3][12]A student of Virchow's,Julius Cohnheim(1839–1884) combinedhistologytechniques with experimental manipulations to studyinflammation,making him one of the earliestexperimental pathologists.[3]Cohnheim also pioneered the use of thefrozen section procedure;a version of this technique is widely employed by modern pathologists to render diagnoses and provide other clinical information intraoperatively.[13]
Modern experimental pathology
editAs new research techniques, such aselectron microscopy,immunohistochemistry,andmolecular biologyhave expanded the means by which biomedical scientists can study disease, the definition and boundaries of investigative pathology have become less distinct. In the broadest sense, nearly all research which links manifestations of disease to identifiable processes in cells, tissues, or organs can be consideredexperimental pathology.[14]
Other pertinent topics
editReferences
edit- ^Von Staden, H (1992)."The discovery of the body: human dissection and its cultural contexts in ancient Greece".The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine.65(3):223–41.PMC2589595.PMID1285450.
- ^Toby E. Huff (2003),The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China, and the West,p. 54, 246-247, 216-218.Cambridge University Press,ISBN0-521-52994-8.
- ^abcde[1]Archived2008-05-25 at theWayback MachineHistory of Pathology, at the USC School of Dentistry
- ^Hippocrates: The Father of Spine Surgery: Spine
- ^Greek Medicine - Galen
- ^Medicine And Health,"Rise and Spread of Islam 622-1500: Science, Technology, Health",World Eras,Thomson Gale.
- ^Islamic medicine,Hutchinson Encyclopedia.
- ^Rubin's Pathology, Fifth Edition. 2008. Ed. R. Rubin and D.S. Strayer
- ^[2]A History of Medicine from the Biblioteca Centrale dell'Area Biomedica
- ^Morgagni, GB (1903)."Founders of Modern Medicine: Giovanni Battista Morgagni. (1682-1771)".Medical Library and Historical Journal.1(4):270–7.PMC1698114.PMID18340813.
- ^[3]Karl von Rokitansky at Whonamedit
- ^[4]Rudolf Virchow at Whonamedit
- ^[5]Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Julius Cohnheim
- ^"Mission and History".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-12.Retrieved2008-04-23.Mission of the American Society for Investigative Pathology