Blood Cells. A Practical Guide

A comprehensive discussion of haematological morphology

In the newly revised Sixth Edition of Blood Cells: A Practical Guide, expert haematologist Barbara J. Bain delivers a robust guide for use in the diagnostic hematology laboratory, covering methods of collection of blood specimens, blood film preparation and staining, the principles of manual and automated blood counts, and the assessment of the morphological features of blood cells.

The book functions well as both a straightforward and practical bench manual and as a reference source for practicing hematologists. It has been completely updated to incorporate newly published information and 400 high-quality photographs to aid in blood cell identification. The text is comprehensive and fully supported by references.

A companion website contains multiple-choice questions to aid the reader in retaining the information contained within. While the book provides additional guidance on further tests that should be performed for specific provisional diagnoses, the main focus of the text remains on microscopy and the automated full blood count. It also contains:

• A thorough introduction to blood sampling and blood film preparation and examination, as well as performance of blood counts
• Comprehensive exploration of the morphology of blood cells, detecting erroneous blood counts, and normal ranges
• Practical discussions of quantitative changes in blood cells and important supplementary tests
• In-depth examinations of disorders of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets
• Review of the morphological features of blood parasites

Perfect for practicing haematologists and haematology trainees, Blood Cells: A Practical Guide will also earn a place in the libraries of biomedical scientists working in laboratory settings. Many laboratories worldwide regard it as an essential bench book.

Barbara J. Bain, is a haematologist whose research is focused on morphology of blood cells, ethnic and biological differences in haematological variables and cytogenetics and molecular genetics in relation to haematological malignancy. She has collaborated with numerous experts in the field and contributed to the WHO Classification of Tumours of Haemopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues.