Progress in Hematology

It is a pleasure to review a book which sets out so beautifully the present situation of the cytology of the blood. The author is the well-known director of the Research Laboratory at the National Transfusion Centre in Paris, and the excellent translation by Eric Ponder provides a book which covers the simple staining methods and techniques of counting which are universally accepted, and follows them by a detailed description of the techniques for examination of living cells by such newer methods as concentration of cells and their separation, and examination with bright fields, vital staining, and phase contrast (which is beautifully illustrated throughout the book), and finally the techniques for using the electronic microscope. Throughout the illustrations are all uniformly excellent, and, to those not used to the photographic tricks, give the most vivid appreciation of the cell, its structure and detailed contents. The reader is especially referred to the beautiful series of photographs illustrating the effects on the red cells of agglutination, haemolysis, division of the stroma, etc. The granulocytic series, enormously magnified, showing microchondria and the specific granules, also demonstrate how the minute photographic accuracy helps in the understanding of the function as well as the morphology of the cells. In all the reviewer found this a thrilling book, opening up new fields of descriptive cytology and experimental cytology, and although it is expensive in English money it should find a place in the library of everybody who is interested in the cells of the blood.