If you have ever seen a doctor about an illness, chances are you have benefited from the services of a pathologist. However, you probably never saw the pathologist. So, what is pathology, and what does a pathologist do?
Pathology is the study of the causes, nature, and effects of disease. You may be wondering: what is a pathology doctor called? A pathology doctor is called a pathologist. Both pathology and pathologist come from the Greek word pathos, meaning suffering. To answer the question:what’s a pathologist? A pathologist is a medical doctor with additional training in laboratory techniques used to study disease. Pathologists may work in a lab alongside scientists with special medical training. Pathologists study tissues and other materials taken from the body. They analyze these items to diagnose illness, monitor ongoing medical conditions, and to help guide treatment.
A pathologist is a vital part of any patient’s care team. And yet, the pathologist may be largely invisible to the patient. That’s because much of a pathologist’s work is conducted in the lab. There, a pathologist draws on medical knowledge and a detective’s passion for mystery to put together the picture of an illness.