Medical lectures at this university began in October 1882, in the cottage and chapel of Huron College of the Anglican Diocese on St James Street.  There were three basic chairs:  Anatomy, Physiology and Normal and Pathological Histology.  Dr. H. Moorhouse took the Chair of Normal and Pathological Histology.  Pathology remained a relatively undeveloped field for 67 years, with a number of clinicians assuming its direction, along with several pathologists who served for limited periods, often having other duties.

In 1888 the London Medical College was erected at the corner of  York and Waterloo Streets.  It served the Faculty of Medicine until 1921.

Hospital training of medical students continued at St. Joseph's and Victoria Hospitals.

In 1921 a new medical school was completed on Ottaway Ave. (South Street) which served the Faculty of Medicine for 44  years.

In 1929 Dr. J.H. Fisher became a full time professor and head of the Pathology Department which was based at the medical school and Victoria Hospital.  He held this position for 36 years during which time he established pathology as a major and highly respected discipline with a solid reputation in diagnostic work, undergraduate education and postgraduate training.   In 1965 Dr J. C. Paterson joined the department and carried on widely recognized research in coronary artery disease and other areas.  In the same year Dr. M.S. Smout and Dr. D. Mills were appointed chiefs of their respective hospitals (Victoria and St. Joseph’s) and professors at the university.   Dr. Smout introduced electron microscopy, cytogenetics, and immunopathology at Victoria Hospital while Dr. Mills promoted forensic pathology at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

In 1965 Dr. Fisher was succeeded by Dr A.C. Wallace, and the department moved to the university campus.  This coincided with an era of sweeping changes in the whole university which included the building of the Medical Sciences Building, the formation of a Faculty of Dentistry in a new Dental Sciences Building in 1968, and tremendous expansion in personnel, facilities and funding for faculty.
  The opening of University Hospital in 1972 meant major responsibilities for the department in service duties.

A Division of Oral Pathology was created under Dr. D.G. Gardner and a strong neuropathology group under Dr. J.C.E. Kaufmann, with Drs. J.J. Gilbert and M.J. Ball, was able to flourish with the newfound opportunities gained from the changes.  The same applied to Dr. M.D. Haust’s work in paediatric pathology, Dr. Bruce Warren’s in vascular pathology, and also to Dr. R. Goyer, who established a toxicology research group with Dr. M.G. Cherian when he assumed the chairmanship in 1974.  These and others such as Dr. Malcolm Silver, a cardiac pathologist, established for the department an international reputation in research.   The Annual Pathology Research Day that Dr. Silver initiated continues today.

Over the same period, the medical school enrollment rose from 60 to 100 and responsibilities for teaching a dental class of 60 developed.  Further, teaching duties to a nursing class, and groups in Health Sciences and Honours Sciences courses were assumed.

In recent years our department has played a significant leadership role in the development and implementation of the new Medical Undergraduate curriculum and the development of distance education under the guidance of the present Chair, Dr. Bertha Garcia.  Our graduate program currently has more doctoral students than at any time previously as well as a number of students with external scholarships.  Our postgraduate program continues to expand while provincial and national enrolment in laboratory medicine programs is declining.  Major areas of research are in metal toxicology, oncology, molecular pathology, neurosciences and transplantation.