Pathology, then, is an important part of medical care!

Yes, the pathology laboratory provides for your doctor the information needed to treat medical problems, and the pathologist is your doctor's special consultant in interpreting and using that information appropriately. In addition, pathologists are currently in the forefront of studies into diseases that may be the result of exposure to hazards in the environment. The patterns of cancer are being investigated by pathologists in the hope of controlling that deadly disease. Other areas of research include allergies, nutritional disorders, immunological diseases, arteriosclerosis, genetic and congenital disorders, birth defects, fertility and infertility, hormonal disorders, and the problems of aging. Daily, the men and women in the specialty of pathology seek to find the best and most effective ways to maintain or restore good health for you and those you love.

What is the pathology laboratory?

In every hospital, and in many other medical care facilities, there is a modern pathology laboratory, directed by a physician specialist called a pathologist, where many different kinds of tests are performed to assist your doctor in determining what your medical problems may be and how they can best be treated.

What is a pathologist?

A pathologist is a physician who took four or more years of additional training after completing medical school in order to become expert in the use of laboratory tests to diagnose and treat disease.  The pathologist is responsible for the quality of the pathology laboratory, and is also often engaged in research seeking improved methods in the detection, prevention, cure, and treatment, of disease. Because of the pathologist's role in interpreting and reporting laboratory test results and in research, he or she is sometimes called "the doctor's doctor".