Topic overview

Start with the big picture

Early pathology framed disease through humoral imbalance: Hippocrates proposed a systematic naturalistic account, and Galen later refined it. The focus shifted toward observable anatomy when Morgagni linked clinical signs with autopsy findings, while Bichat emphasized tissues and Rokitansky systematized autopsy. Virchow’s cellular theory established the cell as a foundation of modern pathology. Later milestones expanded what could be seen and established as a cause of disease: microscopy, germ theory, staining, and neuropathology were followed by frozen sections and electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, monoclonal antibodies, PCR, and genomic advances brought greater diagnostic specificity and molecular insight. Digital pathology and AI mark a further change in how pathology can be examined and interpreted.