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'''Virchows Liste''' is a wiki to collect all things pathology. The primary target audience is [[pathologist]]s and pathologists-in-training and it is assumed that the reader has some basic medical knowledge. | '''Virchows Liste''' is a wiki to collect all things pathology. The primary target audience is [[pathologist]]s and pathologists-in-training, and it is assumed that the reader has some basic medical knowledge. | ||
An effort is made to formulate things so that other physicians and the public at large can gain some insight into the world of pathology. | An effort is made to formulate things so that other physicians and the public at large can gain some insight into the world of pathology. | ||
==Motivation== | ==Motivation== | ||
Imagine a world in which pathology knowledge is accessible to every person on the planet. | With few exceptions, pathology journals are pay-per-view. Imagine a world in which pathology knowledge is accessible to every person on the planet with an internet connection. Patients and other physicians would have a chance to see for them self what the challenges pathologists deal with. Medical students would see a vibrant specialty that is evolving with progress in medicine and, in fact, a driver of progress. | ||
Second, good pathology textbooks are few. Most are laden with dense text and impractical when looking down the [[microscope]]. The philosophy seems wrong -- the emphasis is on making dense text. | Second, good pathology textbooks are few. Most are laden with dense text and impractical when looking down the [[microscope]]. The philosophy seems wrong -- the emphasis is on making dense text. In my first profession, I have heard it said that the textbook writers are paid by the figure and table. In this light, many of the people writing pathology textbooks, by and large, have it backward. The philosophy here is deliver the goods straight and give a [[differential diagnosis|differential]]. Tables are considered highly desirable and decision trees useful. Dense text is seen as a weakness. | ||
In my first profession, I have heard it said that the textbook writers are paid by the figure and table. In this light, many of the people writing pathology textbooks, by and large, have it backward. The philosophy here is deliver the goods straight and give a [[differential diagnosis|differential]]. Tables are considered highly desirable and decision trees useful. Dense text is a weakness. | |||
The task taken up here is no small one and it is challenging as [[pathologist]]s not only often disagree on whether a certain feature is present, but also on whether it important or even relevant to the diagnosis! Psychiatrists, in this respect, have to be envied, they at least agree on the criteria. With things as they are, it is shocking to think that the gold standard in medicine is build on this - foundation of shifting sand. | The task taken up here is no small one and it is challenging as [[pathologist]]s not only often disagree on whether a certain feature is present, but also on whether it important or even relevant to the diagnosis! Psychiatrists, in this respect, have to be envied, they at least agree on the criteria. With things as they are, it is shocking to think that the gold standard in medicine is build on this - foundation of shifting sand. |
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