© SVEN HOPPE/NICOLAS_/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ERIN LEMIEUXPathology is the backbone of modern medicine. It is the job of pathologists to conduct or direct the full spectrum of fundamental laboratory tests—some 7.1 billion tests in 2009—and to interpret the results; they are the direct link between the evidence-based analysis and interpretation of medical data and the delivery of proper care by the patient’s physician.
While the practice dates back to the Greek physician Hippocrates, pathology’s impact on health has relied heavily on a steady stream of technological advances. The invention and enhancement of the light microscope enabled the rapid evolution in our understanding of infectious diseases and launched the field of modern pathology. The introduction of the electron microscope in the 20th century enabled major advances in our ability to differentiate the states and stages of diseases. Digital imaging, facilitated by advancements in both camera and computer technology, likewise has generated a new platform for high-resolution diagnostic testing, providing a more detailed quantification of the diagnoses used in the clinical discrimination of disease and yielding insight and guidance into more individualized disease treatments.
Nevertheless, the rate of uptake of ...
