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Abstract

The twentieth century has seen histopathology develop into a major branch of clinical medicine. While surgeons and physicians continue to bear direct responsibility for the provision of clinical services, investigative and diagnostic specialists are now an integral part of the team that cares for patients. Histopathologists are increasingly involved in work that has a fundamental bearing on the immediate management of patients and are frequently party to therapeutic decisions. The modern histopathologist therefore requires both an intimate knowledge of biopsy appearances and the ability to interpret biopsies in the context of contemporary clinical practice. Before examining the various ways in which the histopathological interpretation of biopsies and surgical resections contributes to clinical practice, the origins of the discipline merit brief recapitulation.

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© 1981 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Underwood, J.C.E. (1981). Diagnostic Histopathology. In: Introduction to Biopsy Interpretation and Surgical Pathology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3301-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3301-8_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-3303-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3301-8

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