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ศาสตราจารย์์ นาย์แพทย์์สัญญา สุขพณิิชนันท์ 95

Abstract: Laboratory Medicine-Laboratory Investigation-Diagnosis
Professor Dr. Sanya Sukpanichnant MD, FRCPath (Thailand)

Associate Fellow of the Academy of Science,
The Royal Society of Thailand

“Laboratory medicine” was first introduced as Department of

Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University.
The first head of the department (1972-1976) was Professor Dr. Chaweng
Dechakaisaya. “laboratory medicine” involves clinical pathology, a branch

of pathology. While “medicine” has been combined in the names of many

subspecialties in medicine. “investigation” in Thai has been used in laws for
a long time but it was first introduced to Thai physicians in 1914 in term of
postmortem examination (autopsy) as an act. This law indicated a district

physician as a coroner working together with civil services and justice

personnel. Moreover, the terminology “laboratory” meant a room or a
place to investigate diseases by laboratory techniques in Thai as recorded by
Phra Bumrasnaradura in the 15 anniversary book of Ministry of Health
th
published in 1957. While the terminology of “diagnosis” in Thai was first

recorded in the Journal of the Siamese Red Cross (Journal of the Medical
Association of Thailand at present) in 1919 by Dr. Kamchorn Balankura
(Phra Abbhantrabadhbisal), honorable fellow of the Royal Society of

Thailand).

At present, “laboratory medicine” has been expanding to
“investigative medicine” that combines any technology for investigation to
improve diagnostic accuracy and gather more information useful for better

patient care. While, in Thai, the meaning of “laboratory investigation”

has been expanding to “diagnosis,” in particular veterinary medicine.

Keywords: laboratory medicine, investigative medicine, laboratory
investigation, diagnosis