Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of molecules, cells, tissues and organs. The term encompasses both the medical specialty which uses tissues and body fluids to obtain clinically useful information, as well as the related scientific study of disease processes.
The histories of both investigative and medical pathology can be traced to the earliest application of the scientific method to the field of medicine, a development which occurred in Western Europe during the Italian Renaissance. Most early pathologists were also practicing physicians or surgeons. Like other medical fields, pathology has become more specialized with time, and most pathologists today do not practice in other areas of medicine. (More...)