Histology: A Text and Atlas: With Correlated Cell and Molecular Biology 7th Edition

Book Preface

This seventh edition of Histology: A Text a n d Atlas with Correlated Cell an d M olecular B iology continues its tradition of introducing health science students to histology correlated with cell and molecular biology. As in previous editions, this  book is a combination “text-atlas” in that the standard textbook descriptions of histologic principles are supplemented by an array of schematics, tissue and cell images, and clinical photographs. In addition, the separate atlas sections now conclude each chapter to provide large-format, labeled atlas plates accompanied by legends that highlight and summarize the elements of microscopic anatomy. Histology: A Text and Atlas is, therefore, “two books in one.”

The following significant modifications have been made to this edition:

“Histology 101 ” sections have been added a t the end o f each chapter. These new sections contain essential information for a quick review of the material listed in a bullet-point format and are perfect for students who find themselves on the eve of quizzes or examinations. These reader-friendly sections are designed for fast information retrieval with concepts and facts listed in separate boxes.

All figures in this book have been carefully revised an d updated. Many schematics and flowcharts have additionally been redrawn. More than one-third of all figures have been replaced by new drawings designed to show the latest interpretation of molecular, cellular, and tissue concepts based on recent discoveries in molecular research. All drawings maintain a uniform style throughout the chapters with a palette of eye-pleasing colors. Several conceptual drawings have been aligned side by side with photomicrographs, a feature carried over from the sixth edition that was widely agreeable to reviewers, students, and faculty members.

Cellular an d m olecular biology content has been updated. Text material introduced in the sixth edition has been updated to include the latest advancements in cellular and molecular biology, stem cell biology, cellular markers, and cell signaling. The seventh edition focuses on target concepts to help students with overall comprehension of the subject matter. To accommodate reviewers’ suggestions, the seventh edition integrates new information in cell biology with clinical correlates, which readers will see as new clinical information items in blue text and clinical folders. For example, within the adipose tissue discussion, the reader might also discover a cell biology topic regarding white-to-brown fat transdifferentiation. Also added is a basic discussion on virtual microscopy, a new approach used in the majority of U.S. histology courses.

Reader-friendly innovations have been implemented. Similar to the previous edition of this book, the aim is to provide more ready access to important concepts and essential information. Changes introduced in the sixth edition, such as bolded key terms, clinical information in blue text, and a fresh design for clinical correlation folders, were all enthusiastically approved by the new generation of textbook users and have been maintained in this edition. Important concepts have been revised and are listed as sentence headings. Dominant features of cells, tissues, and organs have been summarized into short phrases and formatted into bulleted lists clearly identifiable in the body of the text by oversized, colored bullets. Essential terms within each specific section are introduced within the text in eye-catching, oversized, bold, red font. Text containing clinical information and the latest research findings is presented in blue, with terminology pertaining to diseases, conditions, symptoms, or causative mechanisms in oversized bolded blue. Each clinical folder contains updated clinical text with more illustrations and drawings easily found within each chapter and visually appealing to keep readers turning page after page.

More features have been added. In understanding that students are pressed for time and require stimulation when reading several hundred pages of text, we continue to enhance this textbook with pedagogic features, including:

• “Histology 101” sections at the end of each chapter
• Summary tables including a review table on the characteristics of lymphatic organs
• More Clinical Correlation and Functional Considerations Folders, which contain clinical information related to the symptoms, photomicrographs of diseased tissues or organs, short histopathologic descriptions, and treatment of specific diseases
• Updated and relabeled atlas plates
• New figures, illustrations, and high-resolution digital photomicrographs, more than one-third of which have been redrawn for greater clarity and conceptual focus
• A bright, energetic new text design that sets off the new illustrations and photos and makes navigation of the text even easier than before

As in the last six editions, all changes have been made with students in mind. We strive for clarity and concision to aid student comprehension of the subject matter, familiarity with the latest information, and application of newfound knowledge.

Wojciech Pawlina