[Reflections on the current state of anatomic pathology in Chile]

The present article reviews the most relevant aspects of the practice of Anatomic Pathology in Chile. The importance of biopsy and autopsy are analysed, in particular the consequences of the fall in the number of autopsies performed in our hospitals, in the recent decades. The modern pathologist is confronted with two situations: the renovation of the value of the autopsy and the acquisition of new diagnostic technologies, both not usually considered in the classical morphologic approach of Pathology. The ways to solve these problems in a discipline that is still a fundamental specialty in modern medicine are analyzed.