Histology

Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues, including how cells and extracellular material are organized into functional arrangements.

Cell biology: The study of cells, their structures, functions, and interactions. Histology interprets tissues by examining the cells that compose them.
Hematoxylin and eosin stain: A widely used histological stain that colors nuclei blue-purple and many proteins pink. It is the standard starting point for recognizing tissue architecture in routine sections.
Histopathology: The microscopic examination of diseased tissue to diagnose and characterize disease. It applies histological methods to tissue changes associated with illness.
Marcello Malpighi: A seventeenth-century Italian physician who used microscopy to investigate the structure of organs and tissues. His microscopic observations helped establish the study of tissue structure.
Gross anatomy: The study of body structures visible without a microscope. It examines organs and body parts at a scale larger than histological structure.
Extracellular matrix: The network of proteins and other molecules surrounding cells in tissues. Its composition and arrangement help distinguish tissues and shape their mechanical properties.
Tissue fixation: The preservation of biological tissue by stabilizing its structures and limiting decay. Fixation preserves the arrangement histology aims to examine, while potentially altering it.
Biopsy: The removal of tissue from a living body for diagnostic examination. Biopsies provide specimens whose cellular and tissue patterns can be assessed histologically.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek: A Dutch microscopist who made detailed observations of microorganisms and biological structures with handmade lenses. Improved observation of minute biological forms helped make microscopic anatomy possible.
Cytology: The study of cells, especially their structure and function. Histology emphasizes cells in tissue context, while cytology focuses on cells themselves.

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