Mechanisms of Disease

Book excerpt: -- This classic text, the only text devoted to general veterinary pathology, focuses on new advances in our understanding of the complex mechanisms by which mammals become sick. -- The third edition has been reformatted to provide both students and practitioners a more open, accessible design. Pathology is a fundamental part of the veterinary curriculum, and all students take at least one semester in general pathology and one in special, or systemic, pathology. Slauson-Cooper has been the book of choice in general veterinary pathology since 1982. It introduces students to disease concepts inherent in clinical medicine through the study of pathogenetic mechanisms and stresses the importance of critical thinking. Pathology is a changing science. Various microbes and toxins still often cause disease, but the continuing fascination is with how disease occurs. -- Expanded discussion of apoptosis, a process of cell death that is now recognized to be involved in many physiologic and pathologic processes. This process is related to the more conventional view of tissue injury and necrosis. -- Updated chapter on inflammation, including discussions on mediators of the immune and inflammatory responses, adhesion molecules involved in the cellular component of the inflammatory response, signaling events in inflammation, and the role of growth factors in tissue repair and wound healing. -- Immunopathology completely rewritten to focus the role of immunologic processes in pathologic processes. -- New information on the role of genetics in cancer development and emphasis on genetics in the cause of disease. -- More than 35 new, clear line drawings illustrating difficult cellularconcepts, several new case studies and a fresh, new four-color cover. -- Good balance between the detail required for sophisticated explanations of disease mechanisms and "information overload." -- Large, clearly reproduced slides accompanied by line drawings that clarify difficult cellular concepts. -- Clear style of writing makes complex concepts understandable and conveys the enthusiasm the authors feel for contemporary pathology.