Comparative Veterinary Histology with Clinical Correlates PDF

PREFACE

The objective of this atlas is to stimulate in veterinary undergraduates an appreciation of the relationship between structure and function, which is essential in the context of understanding cell biology. In our long experience of teaching histology we have seen the allotted course time reduced, even though students are expected to have the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary to carry them forward to the expanding fields of cell biology, and to histopathology.

All too often the relevance of histology is not emphasized to students, with the result that students often query the need for so much detail. However, a knowledge of histology is especially relevant today in the wider context of understanding cell function. In the past, it was sufficient to describe the lymphocyte as small or large, with a nucleus and a variable rim of cytoplasm; our present day understanding of the multiple functions of lymphocytes, as demonstrated by immunocytochemistry, in the context of the immune system requires a lecture course on this cell alone to cover all aspects of development, origin, lineage and functions. Such is the diverse nature of histology teaching compared with the more pedantic microscopic anatomy of the past, and this significance is hopefully more stimulating to the student.

Each chapter discusses mammalian aspects of the topic first and foremost. However, reptiles, birds and various other species are kept as pets, and included in the undergraduate curriculum with the common domestic animals. Therefore, some relevant histology is included in the text to highlight evolutionary differences and clinical relevance. More detailed coverage can be found in specialized texts.

Finally, why expect the student to have a working knowledge of normal structure and function? The simple answer is, if you do not know the histology of normal healthy cells and tissues, how can you recognize the abnormal? We have included a series of clinical correlates at the end of each system to demonstrate the changes made by the disease process. In this way we hope to stimulate the student to think about histology as an integral part of biology, with relevance to anatomy, physiology, cell biology, immunology, molecular biology and histopathology.