Most ";pathology"; textbooks cover diseases and disease processes from the perspective of description (what does it look like and what are its characteristics), risk factors, disease-causing agents, and to some extent, cellular mechanisms. However, these books typically contain very sparse coverage (if any at all) of molecular mechanisms of disease. The reason for this is partially historical - most major forms of disease have been known for a long time, but the molecular basis of these diseases are not always known or have been elucidated only recently. Nevertheless, our overall understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms of the pathogenesis of most major human diseases has been advancing at a significant pace over the last two decades. As the molecular basis of human disease becomes better characterized, and the implications for understanding the molecular basis of disease becomes realized through improved diagnostics and treatment, there is a need for a new textbook where molecular mechanisms represent the focus. Molecular Pathology focuses on the molecular basis of major human diseases and disease processes, presented in the context of traditional pathology, with implications for translational molecular medicine.