In his recent article, "The Education of a Pathologist" [1], Dr. Inoshita makes several statements that perpetuate stereotypes regarding pathologists. For example, he confesses that he went into pathology thinking that he "would be free of troublesome human relations" but that "pathology turned out to be suffocating, sterile". He speaks of his "nine-to-five existence". On his change of specialties, from pathology to medical oncology, he writes: "I've not regretted my choice, and feel fulfilled, finally having become a doctor" (emphasis ours).

We submit that in no specialty of medicine is one "free of troublesome human relations"; nor is it true that in pathology one need not interact with others. As autopsy and forensic pathologists, we interact daily with clinicians, attorneys, law enforcement agencies, and, most important, bereaved family members who seek information and solace. One of us (GJD) spent a recent Christmas morning counseling in the home of parents of an 8-month-old child who had died suddenly, earlier that morning. The poignancy and sorrow of the tragedy were brought into sharp relief by the unopened presents under the tree and the frightened, wide-eyed stares of the child's siblings. The other of us (PEL) narrowly averted an elderly gentleman's suicide. While speaking to him about the death of his wife of 50 years, he elicited from the man a plan to kill himself. "Troublesome human relations," indeed!

The difficult but bittersweet theater of humanity is not lost to us. Furthermore, we are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the beck and call of clinician and police agencies alike. In short, we are fulfilled in our chosen specialty and consider ourselves physicians first and foremost. Like other doctors, we strive, to the best of our ability, to apply the science and art of our profession to improve the lives of members of our com-munity. In short, it is not necessary to demean one specialty in order to praise another.