P athology, the study of disease, is the broadest of the medical specialties. Pathologists neither treat patients nor do surgery themselves. They act in the capacity of consultant to primary care and specialist physicians. There is no medical specialty that is not within the purview of the pathologist and there is no physician who does not in some way depend upon the pathologist for the care of his patient. T he specialty has two main subdivisions - anatomic pathology and clinical pathology.
Some pathologists specialize in only one but most practice in both areas.
As in all medical specialties neither board certification nor even board eligibility is required to practice. The majority of pathologists are certified by the American Board of Pathology in either anatomic pathology, clinical pathology or both areas. A natomic pathology entails diagnosis of disease and injury by the gross and microscopic examination of tissue specimens, biopsies, organs, pap smears, bone marrow aspirates and blood smears. The anatomic pathologist is also the one who performs autopsies. A part of anatomic pathology is surgical pathology which is concerned with the examination and diagnosis of tissue specimens removed during surgery.