Biomedical scientists are the foundation of modern healthcare, from cancer screening to diagnosing HIV, from blood transfusion for surgery to food poisoning and infection control. Without biomedical scientists the diagnosis of disease, the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment, and research into the causes and cures of disease would not be possible.

The Fundamentals of Biomedical Science series has been written to reflect the challenges of practicing biomedical science today. It draws together essential basic science with insights into laboratory practice to show how an understanding of the biology of disease is coupled to the analytical approaches that lead to diagnosis. Assuming only a minimum of prior knowledge, the series reviews the full range of disciplines to which a Biomedical Scientist may be exposed—from microbiology to cytopathology to transfusion science.

Histopathology describes the processes and practices that are central to the role of the histopathology biomedical scientist, from presampling to diagnosis to laboratory management. It demonstrates throughout how an understanding of cell and tissue physiology is vital to the successful identification of clinical conditions.