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Analysis of an unknown substance can be extremely useful in clinical diagnosis. Substances ranging from powders and pills to herbal material, cigarette stubs and liquids can be analysed using high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry. Viapath’s Toxicology Laboratory determined the components of a ‘diet pill’ bought online.

The story of histological dissection transcends the past centuries and has been linked to the history of medicine itself. Here, Dr Guy Orchard, from Viapath’s St. John's Dermatopathology Laboratory, investigates how this quite artistic, scientific discipline has evolved and progressed over this time period. (A longer version of this article first appeared in The Biomedical Scientist, August 2016)