A History Of Haematology

Blood has long been an object of intrigue for many of the world's philosophers and physicians, and references to it have existed since the earliest studies of human anatomy. Herodotus of Halicarnassus, whose writings 500 years before the birth of Christ drew on stories collected during his widespread travels, was amongst the first to identify the ritualistic and medical significance of blood. However, despite this long established history, haematology as a medical specialty is relatively new. A History of Haematology: From Herodotus to HIV traces the history of haematology from biblical times to the present, discussing the major defining discoveries in the specialty, ranging from war as a catalyst for the development of new techniques in blood transfusion, to the medical response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In this beautifully illustrated and passionately rendered history of the field of haematology, Professor Shaun McCann traces the remarkable developments within haematology and the work of the scientists and pioneers central to these advances. This engaging and authoritative history will appeal to a wide audience including haematologists, nurses and other health care workers in haematology, as well as medical students, and general physicians with an interest in haematology.

Blood has long been an object of intrigue for many of the world's philosophers and physicians, and references to it have existed since the earliest studies of human anatomy. Herodotus of Halicarnassus, whose writings 500 years before the birth of Christ drew on stories collected during his widespread travels, was amongst the first to identify the ritualistic and medical significance of blood. However, despite this long established history, haematology as a medical specialty is relatively new. A History of Haematology: From Herodotus to HIV traces the history of haematology from biblical times to the present, discussing the major defining discoveries in the specialty, ranging from war as a catalyst for the development of new techniques in blood transfusion, to the medical response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In this beautifully illustrated and passionately rendered history of the field of haematology, Professor Shaun McCann traces the remarkable developments within haematology and the work of the scientists and pioneers central to these advances. This engaging and authoritative history will appeal to a wide audience including haematologists, nurses and other health care workers in haematology, as well as medical students, and general physicians with an interest in haematology.

Because of progress in immunology, specifically the discovery of the B- and T-lymphocyte systems, it was imperative to rethink the concepts of malignant lymphomas, which resulted in the development of new lymphoma classifications. One of these was the Kiel classification, proposed by the European Lymphoma Club in 1974. During the following years the classification was refined, correlated with clinical findings, discussed at length, and put to the test against other classifications. It was soon widely accepted in Europe and later sparked the founding of the European Association for Haematopathology in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1988. In 2001 the Kiel classification was incorporated into the new WHO classification.

The approach described in this book is different from that in most student texts, and has been very successful in practice, starting almost from scratch, but omitting many of the ‘basics’ such as the details of hematopoiesis, laboratory technology, and so on, which are hardly relevant to the practising clinician and student in the wards, and are primarily of interest to the hematologist and sometimes to the clinical specialist. Considerable emphasis is given to the clinical history and examination, and the interpretation of the clinical patterns thus exposed. Hopefully it will overcome many of the traditional problems experienced in practical diagnostic haematology.

Providing essential information needed in clinical practice for the diagnosis and management of patients with blood disorders, this handbook covers haematological investigations and their interpretation, and commonly used protocols.