Do you know what histology is?
Histology is a branch of Biology that deals with the scientific study of microscopic structure (also called ‘microanatomy’) and chemical composition and function of cells, tissues and tissue systems of plants and animals. It is a less popular yet viable field of study and is often studied alongside microbiology and biotechnology, two other closely related fields.
Origin of histology
The term histology is derived from the Greek words “histos” meaning tissue or column and “logia” meaning study. The term first appeared in 1819 when a German anatomist and physiologist named Karl Meyer published it in his book, tracing its origin back to the 17th century microscopic studies of biological structures by Italian physician Marcello Malpighi.
Primary uses of histology
Histology is widely used in academia, applied science and the field of medicine. It is taught to medical and veterinary students as well as biologists to help them understand and recognise the kinds of tissues they deal with. Histology helps in bridging the gap between anatomy and physiology by revealing the status of tissues at a cellular level. It is therefore used to diagnose diseases in humans, animals and plants that in turn help analyse effects of treatment.
Histology is also used by archaeologists to study the biological materials such as bones and teeth that are unearthed from archaeological sites and provide valuable data. Similarly, palaeontologists too use histology to uncover useful material from preserved organisms to help in their research.
Histology is also widely used by forensic anthropologists during autopsies and forensic investigations to help figure out the causes behind unnatural deaths. This includes microscopic tissue examination to reveal clues about the bodily environment post demise.
Careers in the field of histology
There are primarily three career prospects in the field of histology, namely: histologist, pathologist and histopathologist.
A histologist is a professional who prepares tissues for sectioning, cutting, staining and imaging. People in this profession work in private or governmental lab facilities and use their expertise to figure out the best way to cut a sample, stain sections to make important structures visible and imaging slides using microscope. Histologists also work as biomedical scientists and histology technicians.
Once the work of histologists is done, pathologists take over and examine the slides and images provided by them. Pathologists specialise in recognising abnormal tissues and cells. They are able to identify various medical ailments such as cancer, parasitic or viral infections and so much more. In fact, they help doctors figure out a treatment plan for the detected diseases.
Histopathologists are experts who study diseased tissues and a career in this field combining both histology and pathology often requires a different medical degree altogether.