COURSE RATIONALE

MECHANISMS OF HUMAN DISEASE COURSE is a learning experience for second year medical students that integrates concepts and factual information from various medical disciplines. The science of pathology forms the core of the course and it is offered in conjunction with other relevant topics in microbiology, virology, and clinical medicine. The overall purpose of the course is to establish a basic science foundation for the practice of medicine. A secondary purpose of the course is to create an environment that fosters active, independent learning and enables the students to acquire problem-solving skills. PATHOLOGY, in the broadest sense, is the study of disease. It is “that ” branch of the biological sciences which is concerned with the nature of disease and the effects of those diseases on structure and function of the body organs and tissues.”1 As the foundation of clinical medicine, PATHOLOGY bridges the gap between the basic sciences and the practice of medicine. “Pathology occupies a pivotal position in the medical curriculum. Anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and bacteriology are prerequisites. Clinical medicine and surgery follow it. In pathology the student mus