A Beginner's Guide to Blood Cells

by Barbara J. Bain

The third edition of this popular pocket book, A Beginner’s Guide to Blood Cells written by Professor Barbara Bain, provides a concise introduction to normal and abnormal blood cells and blood counts for trainees in haematology.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1996

Reviews

[Am Y]

Very comprehensive, and not a very easy read, to be honest, due to the extremely heavy use of jargon. Covers common blood disorders/conditions/symptoms (e.g. neutropenia, lymphocytosis, etc) and discusses possible causes as well, but doesn't mention cancer treatment (e.g. chemo) as a possible cause of said symptoms and whether this is should be cause for concern or not. Includes tables of "normal" blood count figures for Caucasian and Afro-American males & females, but not for Asians or other racial groups.

[DAIMONx]

Beginner friendly. Organised and easy to grasp with good blood film examples and quizzes. Useful for learners’ (with med tech background) to build their foundation.

[Ângela Maresch]

I just ended reading it, and already want to read it again! This is an excelent introduction to any newby in haematology (or - specially - lab medicine), starting at the very basics and then referring to the morphological and epidemiological peculiarities in each disease. Finally there is a short but useaful section meant for "Self Accessment", where Barbara challenges the reader to complete some exercises. It's really the best way to start! *****