Today’s Department of Pathology is vastly different from its humble beginnings at the newly opened Jackson campus of our Medical Center in 1955. Originally, the second floor was the hub of medical activity. The North Wing contained the surgical suites, anesthesiology and surgical pathology. Dr. William Hare was the Chairman of Pathology and Dr. James Hardy, the chair of Surgery made an excellent working pair. Runners would walk surgical specimens across the hall to surgical path and the surgeons could easily walk next door to confer with a pathologist. This was a wonderful, logical layout that served us for many years. Change was inevitable though, as soon surgery needed more space and had difficulty keeping up with rapidly expanding government guidelines for operating rooms. With the competition of the Critical Care Hospital in the early 1980’s, both surgery and anesthesiology moved to this new building. Alas, pathology was left behind, but we did hope to acquire some of the newly vacated space – but that was not to be.
Change was coming for Pathology and this time, it was major. When the Chair of Pathology, Robert O’Neal retired in 1988, it ironically coincided with the retirement of the Chair of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Dr. Warren Bell (the Clinical Laboratory was an entirely separate department from 1955-1988). When Dr. Sherman Bloom was hired in 1988, he became the first chairperson of the combined departments - Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Dr. Bloom’s first efforts were to expanded the main pathology office area on second floor, which is now the resident’s sign out room. There was a large pool of transcriptionist adjoining this area, since all pathologists dictated their reports. There was more to come - cytology had greatly outgrown their space (which is now occupied by Dr. Kyle and the Toxicology group) and the only available site, was in the basement. After major renovation, the current location of cytology was realized. At this time cytology was a thriving division, bolstered by continuing State contracts.
The best was yet to come. With the completion of the new library building, the original library was up for grabs. Very few people realize that the main entrance to the Medical Center’s Library was located on second floor (N222). Pathology was to be awarded its biggest prize yet. Our entire office suite area was actually the main floor of UMC’s library. With this acquisition, pathology gained a formal conference room, administrative offices, a break area and faculty offices.
The evolution of our department’s expansion took many years and numerous administrative changes. The 1990’s were transformational for pathology: greatly expanded lab and office space, the first personal computer systems for faculty, expanded specialties, services and techniques and of course a unified Department of Pathology (Anatomic and Clinical). The 2000’s provided expanded grossing and main lab areas, expanded morgue facilities, enlarged clinical laboratory areas, expanded and secured blood banking areas and of course new diagnostic instruments and equipment.
From UMC’s opening in 1955 to the mid 1990’s. The second floor was the hub of all student activity. The student lounge was a single room isolated at the end of the hall near the morgue. Students were always in our halls, either visiting the vending machines or waiting to enter one of the two laboratory areas utilized by Microbiology and Pathology (N215). Beginning in 2016, this lab area is now home to our Immunoperoxidase and Histology units. With the completion of the amphitheaters and with the upper amphitheater exiting directly onto the second floor, the research wing of the second flood remained a major segway for second year students. Needless to say, every second-year student migrated to Margie Bulboff’s office for instructional guidance (official Den-Mother of all second-year students). Luckily, the opening of the new student union and finally the new medical school building returned our sacred second floor to the tranquil state we enjoy today. One notable item of interest, was the location of the original student lounge, it was in the basement at the end of the hall between the morgue and a storage area for pathology teaching specimens.
Pathology is constantly evolving and always seeking to better serve the Medical Center, patients, faculty and students. Hopefully, this glimpse into our past has provided some insight into our constant evolutionary progress.