Opinion: Molecular gestalt and modern pathology

摘要

Since the early postmortem work by Morgagni or Rokitansky, the macroscopic evaluation of whole organs and systems has provided invaluable insights to the understanding of diseases. Virchow and Cohnheim pioneered the basic concept that diseases are correlated with specific histologic and cytologic appearances that lead to the description of microscopic physiopathologic processes. Both exercises are based on the link between appearances and disease which, translated into a diagnostic opinion, forms the backbone of traditional pathology, arguably one of the most common diagnostic strategies routinely used in modern medicine. Further extensions of contemporary pathology follow the same rationale but on a diminishing scale— immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and electron microscopy are, for the practicing diagnostic pathologist,