Rudolph virchow and cellular pathology

In the mid-nineteenth century, the fundamental role of the "sick cell" as the essence of all diseases was not known. This concept had to await intrcduction until the renowned German physician and pathologist Rudolph Virchow published his masterpiece Cellular Pathology as Based upon Physiological and Pathological Histology. He wrote that the cell is "the ultimate irreducible form of every living element, and . . . from it emanate all the activities of life both in health and in sickness." He was to become one of the most important physicians of his time. His influence in medicine was to be felt for many years. Utilizing data from the multiple dissections he performed throughout the years, Virchow derived a general theory of the disease processes and subsequently fought for its acceptance.