It has only been a year since I embarked upon this voyage into the depths of a beautiful subject called Pathology. Shades of pink and blue that looked exactly the same in multiple fields, never seemed to make much sense during the undergraduate years. I’m honestly a little surprised but delightfully pleased that now these colours have turned out to narrate such fascinating stories and that I have patiently begun to listen. So what is this mystery circle? I was merely referring to the field we focus everyday on a multitude of slides, each one uniquely different from another. One perfect circle, flawless and royally complete. The mystery remains confined to its boundary waiting to be revealed and magnified to an extent much greater than its actual size and far away from the place it actually came from. The tissue bit has had its own adventure and is finally ready to give in to our naked eyes under a lens fixed on our beloved microscope. Always under the limelight, the tissue and everything it may contain, shines bright to tell us something important, like threads woven together to form fine delicate fabric. My first experience with the microscope was in Cytopathology where I spent the first 3 months of residency. I picked up a slide on the table and placed it on the stage, absolutely clueless while doing so. I felt very small and scared as I took this baby step. It was all blur and I stumbled. Then it came into focus. The very first perfect mystery circle I saw. It was a case of candidiasis. And that’s how it all started. The first stepping stone of the very long journey that lies ahead of me.I now look at Pathology so very differently than I used to during the second year of MBBS.The pinks and blues were not crazy after all. They never were. I just never looked at them the right way. Now we spark up conversations for hours. Sometimes it does feel tedious but we still go on anyway. Pathology looks into the disease process, the evolution, all the way from its origin to its fate. This knowledge proves to be vital in the management of the patient subsequently. The clinicopathological correlation that we so frequently see on reports is not a myth. Rather that’s how it actually works.
Pathology is definitely not meant to be on the side-lines. It is a powerful weapon to be used to lead the battle to victory. The future will continue to see the glorious rise of this magnificent yet humble subject as it conquers more mountains. To all the budding pathologists like me waiting to bloom, I hope we all do justice to this subject through hard work and passion. By doing so, playing a key role in patient management and care.
Author:
Dr. Rose Maria Thomas
Postgraduate
Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli
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