HEMATOLOGY I
MeLS 3131
4 credit hour
Course Information
Course Code: MeLS 331
Credit Hours: 4
Lecture: modular
Laboratory: 3 hours/week
Prerequisite: Introduction to MLS
Instructor Name: Bekele Gutema (BSc, MSc)
Course objective
At the end of this course students will be able to:
Define hematology and explain its role in clinical medicine
Describe hematopoiesis
Describe components of blood and their role
Collect and prepare blood specimen for clinical diagnosis
Discus anticoagulants
Prepare and use three various hematological stains
Perform manual complete blood cell counting
Calculate the red cell indices
Course objective cont’d
Perform Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Perform reticulocyte count and calculate the reticulocyte
index
Apply quality control for hematological tests
Recognize sources of error and possible remedies in
routine hematologic tests/complete blood counting
Exercise professional ethics in patient handling, specimen
collection, processing, reporting and documentation
including confidentiality
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter the student will be able to:
Define hematology
Discuss the history of hematology
Recognize the role of hematology laboratory in clinical
medicine
Outline
Definition of Hematology
Historical background of hematology
Role of hematology laboratory in clinical medicine
1.1. Introduction cont’d
Definition of Hematology
Greek term
Haima means blood
Logos means discourse
Hence Hematology is the science or study of blood
It encompasses:
the study of blood cells and coagulation
Analyses of concentration, structure and function of
cells in blood and their precursors in the bone marrow
1.2. Historical background of hematology
History of hematology dates back to primitive man
Loss of large amount of blood was associated with death
Excess blood, plethora, was also considered as the cause
of all ills by the ancient Greeks
In support of this belief they introduced the practice of
bloodletting supported by starvation to induce anemia.
Hipocrates laid the foundation for hematology with his
theory of the body’s four humours and his concept that all
blood disorders result due to imbalance of these humors
Blood
Phlegm
Black bile
Yellow bile
1.2. Historical background of hematology
i.e., the gross appearance of blood was studied:
When blood is stood for some time it makes layers
Layers were perceived to constitute the substance of
the human body
Health and disease was associated with proper mixture
or imbalance of these layers
These principles unfortunately remained unchallenged for
1400 years!
Gradually hematology elevated into a discipline of
medicine with basic morphological observations that can
be traced to a distinct pathophysiology by people of
science such as Galen, Harvey, van Leeuwenhoek ,
Virchow, and Ehrlich
Historical background cont’d
Introduction of the microscope in the 17th century by
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and others:
allowed the study of circulating blood cells, and
interest arose in their possible function
Theory and dogma were replaced by scientific
understanding
In the early 19th century, studies were made on the
causes of anemia and its deleterious effects on the
patient.
This was followed later in that century by descriptions of
blood diseases such as Addisonian pernicious anemia,
Hodgkin disease
Historical background cont’d
Early 20th century, Castle first treated patients with
Addisonian pernicious anemia by giving them raw liver
followed later by liver extract
Measurement of hemoglobin and microscopic examination of
peripheral-blood cells hence became essential to medical
practice as a means of diagnosis
Subsequent development in molecular biology and
automation enabled:
electronic manipulation of cells
detection of genetic mutations underlying the altered
structure and function of cells and proteins that result in
hematologic disease
Decreased the turn around time (TAT; testing time)
1.3. The role of Hematology Laboratory
in Clinical Medicine
Confirming a physician’s clinical impression of a possible
hematological disorder
Establish a diagnosis or rule out a diagnosis
Detect an unsuspected disorder
Monitor the effect of radiation or chemotherapy
Although the CBC is the most frequently requested
procedure, the technologist or technician must be familiar
with the theory and practice of a wide variety of
automated and manual tests performed in the laboratory
to provide quality patient care
Summary
Definition of Hematology
Historical background of hematology (from primitive
thinking, advent of microscopy, advancement of
molecular techniques and automation)
Role of hematology laboratory in clinical medicine
