Tropical Pathology

Book excerpt: General pathology works nomothetically, whereas specific pathology works idiographically. Modern pathological anatomy on the other hand seeks to rise above the level of merely gathering data and to proceed to a practical knowledge of defined pathological aspects and patterns. jEAN MARTIN CHARCOT's con ception of the entite morbide as the abstract basis of nosologically independent phenomena is paradigmatically corroborated in an especially impressive way by the study of tropical diseases. And so the idea suggested itself that we should present the main pathological patterns from tht; fielq. of tropical pathology with particular reference to their interconnection. We s~on came to the firm con clusion that such a compilation could be success_iully ~undertaken only by a pathologist from the English-speaking world. The. classic practical knowledge of our British colleagues, which has matured in world-wide experience, would be bound to find its ideal verification here. And so we turned for help to our friend Prof. WALTER PAGEL (Dr. med., Dr. h. c. Basle, Dr. h. c. Heidelberg) in London. He immediately referred us to Prof. HERBERT SPENCER. That we managed to enlist the help of Professor SPENCER is entirely due to Professor PAGEL's kind offices. We owe the fact that the undertak ing has been completed in relatively so short a time to Professor SPENCER's exceptional knowledge both of his subject and of the field-workers themselves.