Showing papers in "Transactions of the Medical Society of London in 2011"

A matter of life and death: conversations with pathologists.

Abstract: For this book, Sue Armstrong, a science writer and broadcaster from Scotland, was commissioned by the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland to conduct interviews with senior workers in pathology, documenting personal histories, career highlights, and views of the profession. Fourteen individuals are portrayed in detail, and several others are quoted in small boxes placed throughout the text. These men and women, hailing from Europe, Africa, and North America, represent diverse fields, chiefly diagnostic pathology, laboratory research, and forensic anthropology. They discuss an extraordinary range of topics, coming as they do from varied backgrounds, some from families, societies, or countries battered by poverty, racism, or other forms of discrimination. All have witnessed social, economic, or political revolutions but also scientific ones, ranging from the advent of needle or endoscopic biopsies to immunohistochemistry and molecular diagnostics. In focusing upon the scientists, Armstrong has created a book that will be enjoyable to practitioners and both accessible and useful to lay readers. (A glossary and index add to its value in this regard.) In providing details about everyday practice, the book helps dispel some common myths, that pathologists are ivory-towered specialists, divorced from patient care, or crime-busting wizards. The participants deserve thanks for openly answering questions and sharing their private thoughts, discussing their successes but also admitting their shortcomings and those of the discipline. Personal and professional honesty go hand in hand, of course, and this is evident throughout the book. Many express horror at the ways in which consents for study can be bypassed, ignored, or obtained in ways that are less than informed. The care with which data or tissue are treated away from the public eye is apparent in each worker’s story. These are important points for the general reader to appreciate. Everywhere in the book, the traits of curiosity and fascination are on exhibit. The themes that course throughout—science, medicine, and humanity—intersect again and again, and Armstrong has caught them with considerable skill. Each person interviewed pointed with reverence and gratitude to his or her mentor, a good reminder for the teachers in our community. Another theme, common to pathology and to this book, is death. Although we can think about it, imagine it, or anticipate it, we cannot look back on death as we do with other experiences. But in a sense, the pathologist can reflect on death. The pathologist can almost literally hold death in the hand and contemplate it. The pathologist has become, then, a sort of shaman for society. One can accept that role, as we know, or give it a pass. Both types of individuals are portrayed in the book. These kinds of biographies carry great value. They provide a historical context for working professionals while helping students learn about future careers and even lifestyles and helping older readers appreciate a marvelous avenue of medical practice. Of course, only a limited number of individuals can be portrayed in a single volume. Our own subspecialty, although represented in the book, has a host of giants whose stories need to be told. Who will write the next book in the series, one devoted to perinatal and pediatric pathology?