Histology: Study of Cells, Tissues and Organs

Academic Year 2006

C3w-1: Lipid Staining: Oil red O and Hematoxylin. (Image courtesy of Alvar W. Gustafson, Ph.D.)

This course presents the microscopic structure of cells, tissues, and organs, with emphasis on the correlation of structure and function. Vignettes of clinical and pathologic significance are also presented.

This course is dedicated to Frank Robert Susi, D.M.D., Ph.D., who is now emeritus professor and administrator at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. As Professor of Oral Pathology and Professor of Anatomy, Senior Associate Dean, Director of the Basic Sciences, and a cherished colleague, Dr. Susi directed the section of Oral Histology of the course from 1968-2003.

The Course Director gratefully acknowledges the following health science students, who have worked with him to create digital images in conjunction with several Tufts programs, including Selectives on Microscopy/Digital Imaging and Summer Research Programs. Their contributions, some of which may appear here, are part of the permanent image archive at Tufts Health Science Schools. In chronological order by year of degree, these former students, now practicing professionals, are Kevin Mancini (DMD, 1999), Ha Nguyen (DMD, 1999), Stanislav Moline (DMD, 2002), Amy Bowering (MD, 2002), Eric Nelson (MD, 2002), Cecile Wyckaert (MD, 2003), Hasan Abed (MD, 2004), Andrew Wong (MD, 2004), Margarita McDonald (MD, 2005).

• HistoNotes: Methods of Study [PDF - 1.80 MB]
• HistoNotes: Cells and Tissues: Epithelium [PDF - 259KB]
• HistoNotes: Endocrine Glands [PDF - 198KB]
• HistoNotes: Cells and Tissues: Muscle [PDF - 195KB]
• Cells and Tissues

  Syllabus

  Objectives To learn histology as it is a prelude and a prerequisite for the study of pathology. To learn the underlying fabric of form and function for all biological processes in health and in disease. To learn, develop, and hone listening and visual skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills, and construct and develop mental algorithms and tree structures-- important skills that are essential for all medical diagnoses. To learn the scaffolding of cells and tissues upon which to construct the principles of other basic sciences as well as many clinical sciences.

  1. Preface

  The microscopic architecture and organization of cells, tissues, and organs in relation to function is a central and fundamental component in the study of Medicine. The rationale for studying this organization is obvious, or will become so, and is based upon many factors. However, the "Top Ten Reasons for Studying Histology" are as follows.

  1. It is the prelude and absolute prerequisite for the study of pathology. For medicine as well as medical education it has been said that if the normal is learned so well and imprinted into the brain, then the abnormal will be automatically recognized.
  2. It is the underlying fabric of form and function for all biological processes in health and in disease. (We try to understand the structure and function of our body's organ systems to achieve better management of their clinical problems: Frost HM Anat Rec 262:398-419, 2001).
  3. It provides the scaffolding of cells and tissues upon which to construct the principles of other basic sciences as well as many clinical sciences, including biochemistry, physiology, immunology, hematology, oral pathology......
  4. It is an excellent arena for honing skills in problem solving and critical thinking.
  5. It is an ideal subject for learning to construct and develop mental algorithms and tree structures-- important skills that are essential for all medical diagnoses.
  6. It is an optimal medium for developing visual skills*. As Yogi Berra has pointed out, "you can observe a lot just by watching."
  7. It is a subject of images with great density. As a corollary to number 6, these images can provide the observant viewer with a wealth of information*. Indeed, "a picture IS worth a thousand words."
  8. It can also be helpful for sharpening one's listening skills. Despite any shortcomings its lecturers may exhibit, histology can be likened to the "note" (pun intended) on Wagner's music in Mark Twain's Autobiography (1924): "[it's much] better than it sounds."
  9. It has often been said - perhaps since an early enunciation by the Roman philosopher and statesman Lucius Annaeus Seneca (ca. 3-5BC-65AD) - that "all art is but imitation of life". Much later, Oscar Wilde offered the following: "All that I desire to point out is the general principle that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" (Intentions, 1891). Indeed, it is our contentions that Life IS Art. In this regard, please consider histology as a survey of some of the greatest architectural and artistic masterpieces of the living form.*
  10. And finally, to paraphrase the distinguished Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana (1863- 1952): Those who cannot remember histology are condemned to repeat it (The Life of Reason, Vol 1, 1905).

  *In 2001, a former medical student, an art curator, and a dermatology professor from Yale University School of Medicine published a Letter to the Editor in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which indicated that students' observational skills could be improved by at least 10% when they participated in a course that examined and analyzed preselected works of art (Dolev JC, Friedlaender LK, Braverman IM. Use of fine art to enhance visual diagnostic skills. JAMA 256:1020, 2001).

  The authors' contentions were as follows: "Observational skills that define the astute clinician are usually only acquired after years of clinical experience. Recognizing both the subtle and obvious visual details is a critical aspect of visual diagnosis or "seeing." Nonetheless, the formal teaching of observational skills is rarely included in the medical curriculum." During the two-year study, 81 medical students received visual training and 65 students served as a control group that received no specific visual training. An important point made by the authors is that one CAN be trained to be a better observer.

  2. Readings

  2.1. Required

  • Ross et al. (2005) Histology. A Text and Atlas. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.
  • Avery (2002) Oral Development and Histology. Thieme, New York. OR
  • Berkovitz et al. (2002) Oral Anatomy, Histology & Embryology. Mosby, Edinburgh.
  • Stedman's (2000) Medical Dictionary. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia. OR
  • Dorland's (2003) Medical Dictionary. Saunders, Philadelphia.

  2.2. Recommended

  • Avery (2000) Essentials of Oral Histology & Embryology. Mosby, St. Louis.
  • Gartner & Hiatt (2000) Color Atlas of Histology (w/CD-ROM). LWW, Philadelphia.
  • Kerr (1999) Atlas of Functional Histology. Mosby, London.
  • Young & Heath (2000) Wheater's Functional Histology (w/CD-ROM). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.

  3. Schedule

  SCHEDULE
  Session - Hours	Lecture/Lab Topic	Lecturer	Readings (r=Ross a=Avery b=Berkovitz)
  Cells & Tissues
  1 - 4 hours	Cells, Tissues & Organs: Methods of Study: Histochemistry; Cells & Organelles	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 1r, 2r
  2 - 3 hours	Epithelium & Glands	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 3r, 4r
  3 - 4 hours	Epithelial Specializations	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 3r, 4r
  	Quiz #1
  4 - 4 hours	Blood	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 9r
  5 - 3 hours	Connective Tissue Proper	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 5r, 6r
  6 - 4 hours	Cartilage & Bone	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 7r, 8r
  7 - 3 hours	Osteogenesis	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 8r
  	Quiz #2
  8 - 4 hours	Muscle	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 10r
  9 - 4 hours	Nervous Tissue	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 11r
  Organs & Systems
  10 - 3 hours	Organology	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 10 (HistoNotes)
  	Review
  11 - 4 hours	Examination 1	Staff
  12 - 4 hours	Integument	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 14r
  13 - 3 hours	Cardiovascular System	Dr. Sonnenschein	Ch. 12r
  14 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Overview; Oral Mucosa	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 14ab, 15a
  15 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Salivary Glands	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 17a, 16b
  	Quiz #3
  16 - 3 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Odontogenesis	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 5a, 6a, 21ffb
  17 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Eruption & Shedding	Dr. Nurminsky	Ch. 7a, 26b
  18 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Enamel	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 9a, 7b
  19 - 3 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Dentin/Pulp	Dr. Giunta	Ch. 10a, 11a, 9b, 10b
  20 - 2 hours	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Cementun/Periodontium	Dr. Giunta	Ch. 13a, 15a, 11b, 12b
  	Quiz #4
  20 - 2 hours	Temporomandibular Joint	Dr. Mehta	20a, 15b
  21 - 3 hours	Review	TBA
  22 - 4 hours	Examination II	Staff
  23 - 3 hours	Lymphoid (Immune) System I	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 13r
  24 - 4 hours	Lymphoid (Immune) System II	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 13r
  25 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Esophagus & Stomach	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 16r
  26 - 3 hours	Alimentary System: Intestines	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 16r
  27 - 4 hours	Alimentary System: Liver, GB & Pancreas	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 17r
  	Quiz #5
  28 - 4 hours	Respiratory System	Dr. Marchant	Ch. 18r
  29 - 3 hours	Urinary System	Dr. Nurminsky	Ch. 19r
  30 - 4 hours	Review	Dr. Gustafson
  31 - 4 hours	Examination III	Staff
  32 - 3 hours	Endocrine Glands I	Dr. Soto	Ch. 20r
  33 - 4 hours	Endocrine Glands II	Dr. Soto	Ch. 20r
  34 - 4 hours	Genital System: Male	Dr. Gustafson	Ch. 22r
  	Quiz #6
  35 - 3 hours	Genital System: Female	Dr. Soto	Ch. 21r
  36 - 3 hours	Examination IV	Staff

  4. Course Faculty

  4.1. Course Director

  • Dr. Alvar W. Gustafson, PhD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology

  4.2. Teaching Faculty: Instructors & Lecturers

  • Dr. John Giunta, DMD, Department of Oral Pathology; emeritus
  • Dr. Jeff Marchant, PhD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology
  • Dr. Noshir Mehta, DMD, Department of General Dentistry
  • Dr. Maria Nourminskaia, PhD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology
  • Dr. Dmitry Nurminsky, PhD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology
  • Dr. Carlos Sonnenschein, MD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology
  • Dr. Ana Soto, MD, Department of Anatomy & Cellular Biology
  • Dr. Frank R. Susi, DMD, PhD, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, emeritus

  5. Examinations and Quizzes

  5.1. Coverage and Weight of Examinations

  • Examination I: Methods/Histochemistry - Nervous Tissue (50 pts)
  • Examination II: Organology - TMJ (55 pts)
  • Examination III: Immune System - Urinary System (35 pts)
  • Examination IV: Endocrine Glands - Genital Systems (30 pts)

  5.2. Coverage and Weight of Quizzes

  • Quiz #1: Methods of Study/Histochemistry - Epithelium & Glands (6 pts)
  • Quiz #2: Epithelial Specializations - Cartilage & Bone (6 pts)
  • Quiz #3: Integument - Oral Mucosa (6 pts)
  • Quiz #4: Salivary Glands - Dentin/Pulp (6 pts)
  • Quiz #5: Lymphoid (Immune) System - Intestines (6 pts)
  • Quiz #6: Endocrine Glands (6 pts)

    Calendar

    Session	Type	Title
    1	Lecture	Cells, Tissues & Organs: Methods of Study: Histochemistry; Cells & Organelles
    2	Lecture	Epithelium & Glands
    3	Lecture	Epithelial Surface Specializations; Quiz 1
    4	Lecture	Blood
    5	Lecture	Connective Tissue Proper
    6	Lecture	Cartilage & Bone
    7	Lecture	Osteogenesis; Quiz 2
    8	Lecture	Muscle
    9	Lecture	Nervous Tissue
    10	Lecture	Organology and Review Session
    11	Examination	Examination 1
    12	Lecture	Integument
    13	Lecture	Cardiovascular System
    14	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Overview; Oral Mucosa
    15	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Salivary Glands; Quiz 3
    16	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Odontogenesis
    17	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Eruption & Shedding
    18	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Enamel
    19	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Dentin/Pulp
    20	Lecture	Alimentary System: Oral Cavity Cementun/Periodontium; Quiz 4
    21	Lecture	Temporomandibular Joint
    22	Lecture	Review Session
    23	Examination	Examination II
    24	Lecture	Lymphoid (Immune) System I
    25	Lecture	Lymphoid (Immune) System II
    26	Lecture	Alimentary System: Esophagus & Stomach
    27	Lecture	Alimentary System: Intestines
    28	Lecture	Alimentary System: Liver, GB & Pancreas; Quiz 5
    29	Lecture	Respiratory System
    30	Lecture	Urinary System
    31	Lecture	Review Session
    32	Examination	Examination III
    33	Lecture	Endocrine Glands I
    34	Lecture	Endocrine Glands II
    35	Lecture	Genital System: Male; Quiz 6
    36	Lecture	Genital System: Female
    37	Examination	Examination IV