“Hey, I’m a Pathologist,
Nice to meet you!
Let me take you to my colorful world,
And answer your question- what exactly do Pathologists do?
You see that man with a swelling in his neck?
Oh, is it worrisome or not?
I will use fine needle aspiration and let you know,
If that’s a benign or malignant lesion he’s got!
When a child comes to you with fever,
The possibilities can be shedload!
Just a little blood and my smear can tell you,
The hints about the illness untold.
Do you see that old man coughing?
Should he be given empirical antibiotics?
With eosinophilia of 80% on peripheral smear,
The coughing was due to eosinophilic bronchitis!
Give us tissues of any organ with any pathology,
Liver, spleen, pancreas or kidney,
We will answer the unanswered questions about it,
On our shoulder lies great responsibility.
Tumour type, staging and grading,
The further treatment is dependent on our report,
The complete management of a patient is not possible without,
An anatomical or clinical pathologist’s support.
The neurosurgeon wants to make a decision during surgery,
With the patient on table, he sends us bits of brain tissue,
Using frozen section and quick reporting within minutes,
At the speed of light (not literally), we solve all his issues.
A patient is bleeding and needs immediate transfusion,
Don’t worry, we are placed in blood banks too,
Packed cells, fresh frozen plasma and platelets,
Cross-matched and ready to issue to you.
Sudden death in the ward within a few hours,
Is the cause of death a mystery?
We’re here to solve your puzzle,
And find answers by doing an autopsy.
Flow cytometry, electrophoresis, immunohistochemistry,
The list of diagnostic modalities is endless!
It is a Pathologist who plays a major role in each of these,
To make your final report flawless!
With molecular diagnostics developing rapidly,
Individual specific therapy does not seem far,
Translocations and point mutations will help to decide,
For the patient, which drug is the need of the hour!
So, my dear undergraduate,
I hope this answers your question to some extent,
Including Pathology rotation during internship,
Is the need of the hour at present!”
Author:
Dr Niyati S,
Post Graduate Student,
Topiwala Medical College, Mumbai
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