The study of abnormal structure and function is known as?

• A. Physiology
• B. Biochemistry
• C. Pathology
• D. Histology

Answer: (C)

Pathology is the study of disease, focusing on how disease changes the structure of cells and tissues (morphology) and how those structural changes lead to altered function. This ties the physical changes you can observe in tissues to the ways organs stop working properly. It differs from physiology, which looks at how normal bodily systems work; biochemistry, which studies the chemical processes inside living organisms; and histology, which surveys tissue architecture under the microscope, often in normal conditions. By examining abnormal structure and the resulting functional impairment, pathology explains why diseases produce symptoms and organ dysfunction. For example, changes in cell shape and tissue organization from disease can disrupt how an organ functions, such as impaired filtration in the kidney or reduced blood flow in diseased vessels.