Introduction to Pathology

Pathology is the branch of medicine that is involved with the study of injury and disease, and forensic pathology deals with the application of this to the law. As part of the standard medical school curriculum, all physicians study pathology. For this reason, pathology is regarded as one of the basic sciences of medicine along with other disciplines such as anatomy, microscopic anatomy (“histology”), physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology.

In the United States, there are two types of medical degrees, the MD or doctor of medicine, and the DO or doctor of osteopathy. Physicians with either of these degrees must pass board examinations in order to be licensed to practice medicine and/or if they want to pursue specialist training. In countries outside North America that follow the British system more closely, medical students graduate with degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS or MB, ChB). In these countries, an MD is a higher degree (a doctorate) akin to...