Gross examination is the cornerstone of autopsy pathology. It has been often said that if you don't have a diagnosis after looking at the gross specimen, you won't find one under the microscope. For this reason teaching gross pathology has become an important aspect of pathology training. This is also true for surgical neuropathology where the gross findings are vital to forming a differential diagnosis. A problem associated with trying to learn pathology is locating information. Photographs and factoids are often spread out over numerous resources and I will tell you from experience, finding a good gross photograph can be a frustrating endeavor. The Gross Atlas of Neuropathology fills a giant void in this area. There are over 400 color, clear, high quality photographs in this book covering all aspects of neuropathology. Tumors, trauma, spinal cord and the complicated world of pediatrics are all comprehensively addressed within the pages. It's a one-stop gross photo bonanza. One of the things I like best about the book is the abundant use of arrows. Who hasn't gone to the 'major' pathology texts, read a wonderfully worded picture caption and not been able to find the feature described? In Gross Atlas of Neuropathology, the captions are well written and the arrows will point out the features you're looking for. Excellent touch. But wait, there's more: the photographs are available for digital download. That's right, you can use any of these photos in your lectures. I think this is a wonderful addition to the text. No CD to mess with, no Mac versus PC issues to deal with, just an easy to follow link to click on.
I have read through Gross Atlas of Neuropathology a couple of times now and I highly recommend it to anyone who deals with neuropathology. It's a perfect text for residents, neuropathology fellows, neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuroradiologists. If you deal with brains, you'll need this book in your autopsy or gross room.
Here is the link to amazon where you can and should buy this book:
