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DIAGNOSIS AND PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY. 475
jected to careful study. Pathological anatomy acquired an
unexpected importance in relation to the subject of disease
; it assumed, as it were, the control of, or became a
check upon, diagnosis. It developed first under the influence
of BlCHAT's labours in France: numerous works
dealt with general and special pathology, for illustrating
which a considerable mass of facts had been discovered.
In England, too, under the influence of J. HUNTER'S work,
and in Germany, distinguished anatomists and clinical
observers like P. FRANK, A. R. VETTER, J. F MECKEL,
LOBSTEIN, JOHANNES MOLLER and others directed their
attention to pathological anatomy.
The period of this science's prime however began with
ROKITANSKY who laid under contribution the rich pathological
material of the General Hospital at Vienna.
Possessed of opportunities enjoyed by none of his contemporaries
he was enabled to collect a series of specimens
illustrating natural and obvious types of pathological changes
which included nearly all important diseases. While
ROKITANSKY facilitated the understanding of the subject of
pathological anatomy he at the same time enlarged its
boundaries by a number of discoveries and went deeply into
the investigation of pathogenetic influences. He was not
contented with asking what pathological processes were, but
sought also to discover how and why they arose, and to get
an insight into their cause and development; as WuNDER-
LICH says, he tried to turn pathological anatomy into
anatomical pathology.
Cellular pathology, a system constructed by ViRCHOW
upon the basis of the cellular theory, impelled men more
and more to examine minute pathological changes,—
microscopical elementary forms—and led to the foundation
of pathological histology. It is true that afterwards by the
discovery of many new facts some rotten supports of the
cellular pathology were removed; but the foundations
remained firm and to this day bear the edifice of pathological
teaching.