before a group of medical professionals at the University of Berlin. He outlines his intention to provide a structured explanation of cellular pathology, grounded in extensive microscopic demonstrations, which seeks to clarify how life and disease are cellular phenomena. Virchow critiques traditional methods of medical understanding, which rely on outdated beliefs, while stressing the importance of acknowledging the advancements in anatomical knowledge. He sets the stage for a discussion on the cellular structure as the fundamental unit of living organisms, preparing readers to explore the detailed connections between cellular function and pathological processes. (This is an automatically generated summary.)