Histochemistry in Pathologic Diagnosis

By analogy, if Sam Spicer were concerned with athletes, I think he would be the manager of a baseball team. At first glance, he seems to know who the batters are, where his players should position themselves, and what kind of pitches are needed to do the job. What is unfair is that this reader is a middle linebacker by nature and training. Histochemistry contains both the theoretical and the applied, as originally indicated by A.G.E. Pearse, who wrote the brief, simple foreword, repetitive of his stand. Realistically, the theoretical simply must question the methodology scrupulously so that there are appropriate controls, and this precaution applies to every biomedical science. This volume, however, contains only applied histochemistry (often used as a stain) and plain stains. These methods are largely applied to cells at the system or organ level of sophistication. For example, when dealing with nephropathology, the chapter is composed of method details that one could generally use in the day-to-day practice of examining a section of kidney containing renal diseases. For the liver, the diseases are first classified and then simply the methods that will demonstrate accompanying morphologic abnormalities are named. I am not going to let them pull a multiple reverse on me. The PAS method, at a brief glance, is at least detailed in chapters 2 to 8 to 13 to 17, and I did not have to nail them because the Ref, the Ump, and both Linesmen got them simultaneously for illegal formation, in motion, clipping and holding. The penalties got so bad at times, such as when they tried to pull an Esterase play or used the outmoded Rutenberg play for Phosphatases, that it became obvious so many substitutions were being used, and some seemed not even to understand the basic game plan. If the simple fundamentals of blocking and timing are absent, you have to use a lot of open field running (football or books), and that is when a linebacker licks his chops. Each chapter has different and often multiple authors. The quality and the accuracy of the histochemistry of the different chapters vary from long pass completion (Immunohistochemical Techniques-and used practically in most system chapters) to fumble (Histochemical Method Available for Pathological Diagnosis). For the histochemists I had to use the image of the linebacker to overcome the content or process, which showed irrationality. For the reader who is not a routine pathologist-punt, the whole ($) 149 yards!