Clinical Hematology Atlas

Carr, Jacqueline H., MS, CLSpH(NCA), CLDir(NCA); Rodak, Bernadette F., MS, CLSpH(NCA)

Bibliographic Data:
ISBN: 978-1-4160-5039-1, NLM: WH 17, LC: RB145, 266 pages, spiral bound cover.

[DOODY'S NOTES]


[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION]
Valerie L. Ng, PhD, MD(Alameda County Medical Center/Highland Hospital)

**Description**
This is the third edition of a color atlas of cells and other items found in peripheral blood and body fluids. New to this edition is the spiral-binding -- invaluable for keeping the book open when referring to a picture. The previous edition was published in 2004.

**Purpose**
The purpose is to provide a handy bench guide as a quick and readily accessible reference for morphological identification. This book has nicely met the authors' objective.

**Audience**
This book is intended to have a wide appeal to anyone interested in blood or body fluid morphology: medical students, residents and fellows in any medical specialty, practicing clinicians, allied health providers, etc. The main beneficiaries will be clinical laboratory scientists, pathologists and clinical hematologists -- students or practitioners.

**Features**
My first impression of this book was, "Wow, this is beautiful." It is primarily pictures, the clarity and color reproduction of which are superb. The book is divided into sections starting with normal hematopoiesis, normal maturation, leukemias, myelodysplasias, lymphoma, microorganisms, miscellaneous cells, newborn blood and body fluids. All pictures depict Wright-stained preparations.
Each picture has a short descriptive section highlighting key morphological features and associated disease states. The descriptions are purposely short, as this atlas is intended to be a companion to a textbook (Rodak et al,
Hematology: Clinical Principles and Applications, 3rd edition (Elsevier, 2007)) in which physiology and diagnosis are addressed. The inclusion of various body fluids (synovial, pleural, CSF) make this a hybrid of atlases covering only peripheral blood and those covering only body fluids.
There are deficiencies in this hybrid approach, however. For example, there is no depiction of cells in CSFs of neonates -- a morphologically difficult specimen for those not used to seeing neonatal CSF. Similarly, other fluids commonly evaluated in the hematology lab (i.e., semen, pericardial, ascites,
urine) are not included. Regardless, the entities displayed in this atlas cover about 90 percent of what the average bench clinical laboratory scientist will see in the course of a career.

**Assessment**
This is a beautiful atlas that will be used every day by the bench clinical laboratory scientist. Get it.

Weighted Numerical Score: 95 - 4 Stars!