The Investigation of a Patient Believed to Have a Blood Disorder

Abstract

Much has been said in the first part of this article about the important points to note in taking the history, and various possible physical signs have been considered.  In many instances, however, further investigations are necessary before a diagnosis can be made or confirmed. These cannot be considered in great detail in an article of this nature, since complete consideration would involve writing a full textbook of haematology, but some of the more important investigations can be outlined under three headings according to the degree of complexity or specialisation.