THE HEMATOLOGY SECTION WALLACE COULTER

HISTORY - developed cell counting by impedance measurement.

This method was based on the fact that cells are known
WILLIAM HEWSON for electrical conduction and that they manifest
electrical resistance as they pass through a small
- father of hematology aperture.
- discovery of wbc, lymphatic circulation, fibrinogen
BLOOD COMPONENTS
- coagulation fundamentals Glauber’s salt (1st anti-
coagulant) PLASMA
Preparation Blood sample is not
FRANZ ERNST CHRISTIAN NEUMANN (1868) allowed to clot prior to
- discovered the role of bone marrow in separation from cells
HEMATOPOIESIS Blood sample used for
collection is anti-
 Production of cellular components of blood coagulated
and blood plasma Appearance after Pale cellular fluid
 Also occur in the liver and yolk sac in fetal Separation separated from the blood
cells via centrifugation
hematopoiesis
Clotting factor Presence of fibrinogen
JAMES HOMER WRIGHT (1902) (Factor 1)
Presence of all clotting
- developed the WRIGHT STAIN and WRIGHT’S factors
ROMANOWSKY

 Type of stain that remains the foundation of BLOOD (liquid extracellular matrix/plasma 55%)
blood cell
 Fixative, sol I (eosin), sol II (crystal violet), (formed elements 45% RBC 44 WBC 1)
distilled water - composed of 91.5% water, 7% plasma protein, 1.5 %
 An acidic solution/ low ph other solutes
 Basic/alkaline solution/high ph
 pH (power/potential of hydrogen) SERUM
Preparation Blood sample is allowed
KARL VIORORDT to clot before separation
from the clot
- the first to perform a blood count in 1852. His
Blood sample used for
method includes drawing blood into a capillary tube
collection is not anti-
and spreading a known volume of the collected blood coagulant
onto a slide followed by microscopic analysis. Appearance after Yellow fluid separation
GEORGE OLIVER separation from the blood clot via
centrifugation
- he provided an RBC count without the need for Clotting factor Absence of fibrinogen
manual counting of individual cells. His method was (Factor 1)
based on the VISUAL MEASUREMENT of light Absence of factor V, VIII,
loss by scattering and absorption in a test tube filled XIII, II)
with DILUTED BLOOD.

RED BLOOD CELLS

- Red Blood Cells are biconcave disc-shaped cells that
are anucleated
- RBCs contain the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin
which is a pigment that gives whole blood its red
HERCANDIER ET Al color. These cells are primarily responsible for
physiological gas exchange, specifically transporting
- utilized a PHOTODETECTOR for the
oxygen from the lungs to the different parts of the
measurement of light absorption instead of relying on
body and carry carbon dioxide back to the lungs.
unaided eyes.
- first description was by Van Leeunhook based on - comprises 1-3% of the total WBC population
the physiological gas exchange in the lungs which was
explained by William Henry.
BASOPHILS
Poikilocytosis refers to an increase in abnormal red
blood cells of any shape that makes up to 10% or
more of the total population. Poikilocytes can be flat,
elongated, teardrop-shaped, crescent-shaped, sickle-
shaped, or can have pointy or thorn-like projections, or
may have other abnormal feature

WHITE BLOOD CELLS

GRANULOCYTES (BEN)
NEUTROPHILS - nucleus has 2 lobes; nucleus is not easily observed
because it is often covered by large granules
- cytoplasm contains water soluble blue-black granules
with affinity for BASIC stains
- involved in allergic and hypersensitivity reactions
- comprises 0-2% of total WBC population

- nucleus has 2-5 lobes

- cytoplasm has fine; pale lilac granules with
NEUTRAL affinity for stains
- phagocytic; respond to bacterial infection
- comprises 50-70% of total WBC population
AGRANULOCYTE (ML)
MONOCYTE

EOSINOPHILS

- are converted to macrophages as they leave the

- nucleus usually has 2 lobes connected by thick
chromatin strand
- cytoplasm contains large, re-orange granules with
affinity for ACIDIC stains
- responds to parasitic and helminthic infection and
allergy
- also characterized to have phagocytic activity
blood circulation and enter peripheral tissues
- macrophages are potent phagocytes which defend
the body against mycobacterium species and other
bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses
- comprises 2-11% of total WBC population
- nucleus is horseshoe or kidney-shaped often with
brain-like convolutions
- cytoplasm is blue-gray colored and foamy and has a
very fine azurophilic granules responsible for the
characteristic “Ground glass” appearance
LYMPHOCYTE
- round or slightly indented nucleus that occupies
majority of the cell area
- scanty cytoplasm with a characteristic “Robin’s egg
blue coloration”
- Immunocytes
- predominant WBC that responds to several viral
infections
- comprises 18-42% of total WBC population
PLATELETS
- platelets are cell fragments that play significant roles
in hemostasis. These cells contain many vesicles but
have no nucleus. When your skin is injured puncturing
the vascular area, platelets clump together and form
clots to stop bleeding.
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC)
- is a commonly performed blood test that is often
included as part of a routine checkup. CBC can be
used to help in the detection of a variety of disorders
including infections, anemia, diseases of the immune
system, and blood cancers.
PANEL TESTS
 Hemoglobin Determination
 Hematocrit Determination
 RBC Count
 WBC Count
 WBC Differential Count
 RBC Morphological Examination
 Platelet Count
 RBC Indices
H/H Test
(Hemoglobin Hematocrit Determination)
Hemoglobin Determination
- It is primarily used for the diagnosis of anemia.
Anemia is a condition in which the number of red
blood cells or their oxygen-carrying pigment
hemoglobin is insufficient to meet physiologic needs.
Anemia is defined by the WHO as hemoglobin levels
of less than 12.0 g/dL in women and less than 13.0
g/dL in men.
Hematocrit Determination
- It is also known as Packed Cell Volume (PCV) or
Erythrocyte Volume Fraction (EVF), is the volume
percentage of RBCs in a whole blood sample.
WBC Count
- Is a clinically significant value. Leukocytosis/High
WBC count us often seen in infections, allergy, and
leukemic states. Leukopenia/Low WBC count on the
other hand, is observed in cases of viral infections that
temporarily disrupt bone marrow, autoimmune
disorders, and immunodeficiency.
Platelet Count
- It is the quantification of thrombocytes of the blood
samples.
WBC Differential Count
- It is a routine procedure that involves observing a
total of 100 WBCs and simultaneously classifying
them as either neutrophil, lymphocytes, monocytes,
eosinophils, and basophils.
RBC Morphology Examination
- It involves microscopic observation of the size and
shape of the red blood cell population of the sample.
RBC Indices
- It aids in morphological classification of anemia,
MCV, MCH, and MCHC are commonly reported
indices.