Making a White Blood Cell Specimen

Making a White Blood Cell Specimen

Obtain an empty vitamin bottle with a flat plastic lid and a
roll of clear tape. The white blood cells are not going into the
bottle, they are going on the bottle. The bottle simply makes them
easy to handle. Rinse and dry the bottle. Make a second specimen
on a clean glass slide if available. Squeeze an oil gland on your
face or body to obtain a ribbon of whitish matter (not mixed with
blood). Pick this up with the back of your thumb nail. Spread it in
a single, small streak across the lid of the bottle or the center of
the glass slide. Stick a strip of clear tape over the streak on the
bottle cap so that the ends hang over the edge and you can easily
see where the specimen was put (see photo). Wipe the lid beside
the tape to make sure all white blood cells are covered. For the
slide, apply a drop of balsam and a cover slip (see Sources).
Both types of preparation will give you identical results. The
bottle type of white blood cell specimen is used by standing it on
its lid (upside down) so that the specimen is next to the plate.
The lid is used because it is flat, whereas the bottom of most
bottles is not.