When we think about pathology, we often think it’s all bout dead bodies and yucky stuff. But that’s actually a very small part of pathology!

There are 4 main areas of pathology:

• Histopathology – the study of disease in human tissue
• Haematology – the study of disorders of the blood
• Chemical Pathology – the study of chemicals in the blood and other fluids
• Medical Microbiology – the study of infection

The type of pathology that’s trying to work out why something or how something died is called Forensic Pathology. It’s very important just in case there has been a crime committed or a mistake made which caused the death.  If we know why things happen, we can try to stop them happening again.

Living people have just as many puzzling things happen to their bodies as dead people.  Why do you think people go to the doctors?  To try to work out why they’re feeling crummy and to get the right treatment. Every patient is a puzzling case!

> Visit the Professor Hallux Pathology Puzzle homepage
> Download the free Pathology Puzzle podcast from iTunes

Hallux’s Pathology Puzzles with support from The Royal College of Pathologists