Pathology and Forensic pathology
  As an educational service to the public, Dr. Adams, a consulting forensic pathologist, has provided a discussion of some of the areas of interest to a pathologist, including some of the more difficult and controversial problems encountered in forensic pathology.

   Topics include an overview of the training required to become board-certified as a forensic pathologist, forensic pathology, anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, private autopsy, second autopsy, toxicology, drug abuse, industrial accidents, medical malpractice, child abuse and other medical aspects of criminal and civil litigation.  Links to other sites also are provided.

General Pathology, Anatomic and Clinical

   A pathologist is a medical school graduate with at least 3 years of postgraduate residency training in one or more specialties of Pathology.  General pathologists typically are trained in Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology, which require a minimum of 4 years of approved postgraduate training.  Following successful completion of residency training, the pathologist is "board-eligible", meaning that he or she may sit for written examinations of 1 to 3 days in length.  Successful completion of these examinations enables the pathologist to use the "board-certified" appellation.  

   A general pathologist typically is board-certified in both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and works in a hospital setting, providing diagnostic services to the medical staff and their patients as a consultant.  The practice of Anatomic Pathology involves medical diagnosis based upon a study of tissues obtained at surgery or autopsy.  Clinical Pathology is concerned with the performance and interpretation of a wide variety of tests on blood and body fluids such as "blood counts".  General pathologists spend much of their time in laboratories but commonly see patients in consultation and  perform diagnostic procedures such as sampling of bone marrow ("bone marrow aspiration biopsy") or a tumor ("fine needle aspiration biopsy").  

   There are many subspecialties of Pathology, each focusing on a special field such as Neuropathology, which concentrates on the nervous system, Immunopathology, which highlights the body's immune system, and Hematopathology, which centers on diseases of the blood.  Another such subspecialty is Forensic Pathology, which uses medical and scientific information to answer questions of law.  Prior training in general pathology and a minimum of one year of subspecialty training are required for eligibility to sit for the board examinations in Forensic Pathology.
1