Back to basics

Pathology is a bit of a Cinderella of the medical profession.  If you were at a party and someone told you they were a pathologist, how would you imagine that they’d spent their working day?  Investigating the cause of suspicious deaths for the police perhaps? That’s certainly a side of pathology that has a high media profile and is often featured in films or television crime series. But in fact it’s far more likely that they were busy in a hospital clinic or laboratory helping living people.

Pathologists study the causes of disease and the ways in which disease processes affect our bodies, or those of the animals and plants on which we all depend. Recognising the patterns that disease takes allows us to understand what’s at the root of a problem, enabling accurate diagnosis. And following up this understanding of what has gone wrong helps us devise treatments and put preventative measures in place. Pathology is a key scientific skill and source of essential evidence for a number of Agency staff and independent scientists on the scientific advisory committees that guide and challenge us.

Surveys carried out by the Royal College of Pathologists have shown that the public has a low level of awareness about the key roles that pathology plays in a range of important work, including disease diagnosis and food safety, such as microbiology, toxicology, and  veterinary pathology. Why not find out more about the science and practice of pathology by visiting the website of the Royal College of Pathologists?

You can also get involved through next week's National Pathology Week (3-9 November 2008) that the college is launching for the first time to promote the role of pathology in the UK.  National Pathology Week aims to highlight pathology’s impact on the health of the population by involving as many people in the UK through a range of fun, free and exciting events.