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Textbooks on German medical history are a valuable source when analyzing the discipline's view on the foundation of scientific medicine. This paper deals with descriptions of the history of pathology found in textbooks between 1858 and 1945: In particular, pathological anatomy and Rudolf Virchow's "cellular pathology" were the cornerstones of the foundation of modern medicine in the 19th century. The way textbooks deal with the history of pathology mirrors the development of German history of medicine: Since the turn of the century the latter felt devoted to an ahistoric teleological approach which did not change in the "Third Reich". This situation hampered a critical histoography which would show relations of the history of pathology to cultural, social and political history.

The rise of scientific medicine in the 19th century had its origins mainly in Rudolf Virchows localistic cellular pathology. As a consequence the organism as a complex system was kept in the background. In recognition of this problem, concepts of pathology, emerging in 20th century, tried in vain to establish organismic theories of illness. Pathology remained deeply indebted to Virchows work. Deficits appeared even in 19th century, when treatment of patients was mainly focussed on practicability of cure, ignoring the social background. Therefore, it is not possible to speak about progress of pathology in general, for diagnostics depends also on individual mentality, the subject, and the situation of the time.