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Pathologist

Examines tissues, cells, and body fluids to diagnose disease — the "doctor's doctor".

Did you know?

Pathologist Rudolf Virchow popularised the idea that every cell comes from another cell. His 1858 book Cellular Pathology helped shape modern medicine.

How subjects help

• Biology: Look at cells under a microscope to tell if a lump is harmless or cancer.
• Chemistry: Use special stains that colour different parts of a cell so disease stands out.
• Anatomy: Study organs and tissue samples to find exactly what caused an illness.

A famous name

Rudolf Virchow: German doctor called the father of modern pathology; he showed that diseases start in the body's cells.

Try it yourself: Look closer: kitchen powders

1. Label three spots on the paper. Put a small pinch of each powder on its own spot. Do not taste them.
2. Look at each one through the magnifier. Draw the shapes you see.
3. Salt makes little cubes, sugar makes uneven crystals, flour is a fine dust. Could you tell a mystery pinch apart just by looking?
4. Ask someone to put a mystery pinch down without telling you. Identify it and explain what gave it away.

Laboratory technicians and pathologists study samples closely, often under microscopes, to find exactly what they contain.

Also try: Stain and scrub an egg like a tooth.

Known for it in

USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany

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