Conventional, optical methods of viewing objects with cellular dimensions provides high magnification capabilities but with the side effect of destroying any living materials in the cell. Processes such as electron microscopes provide extreme magnification but are unable to provide a viewing capability of cells which are alive at the time of viewing.

Dark Field microscopy employs a novel method of illumination of the object(cell), allowing viewing of the cell without destroying any living materials in the optical viewing area. Such a method is highly effective in providing details as to cellular activities(or lack thereof) and conditions which tend to reveal more than conventional blood analysis using conventional optics and illumination procedures.

For more details on the technology, visit http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/method/microscopy/scopedark.html

To see samples of live and dried blood morphologies in dark-field microsocopy visit http:www.crl.com/~nulife/bloodpix.html