The Importance Of The Microscope

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The invention of the microscope in 1590 has changed the world by allowing scientist and researchers to see and examine objects that are too small to see with a naked eye. The microscope has had a major impact in the medical field as it allows doctors to see cells and other specimen up close, which helps a doctor to determine whether a sample is healthy or not. Without the microscope, our understanding of the world would be very limited. The microscope can be used to detect abnormal cells and to check the presence of different types of cells. For example in sickle cell disease, the red blood cells have an abnormal shape, they are shaped like a sickle. This can easily be seen under a microscope (ehow) (sciencelearn). The existence of sickle…show more content…
However, in sickle cell disease, an abnormal form of haemoglobin is produced, known as haemoglobin S or HbS (my.clevelandclinic)…show more content…
Anemia is a condition where a person’s blood has a very low number of red blood cells. The bone marrow always creates new blood cells to replace the ones that have died. Normal red blood cells live for about 120 days and then die. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells only live for 10-20 days. The bone marrow cannot make new red blood cells fast enough to replace the ones that have died (nhlbi). Sickle cell disease is simply diagnosed by examining a sample of blood of an individual under an electron microscope (my.clevelandclinic). By examining the slide that contains the thin layer of blood, the number of red blood cells can be calculated, the type of haemoglobin can be determined, and if the individual is carrier can also be determined (labtestsonline). If an individual’s type of haemoglobin is HbS, then he or she is diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Also, the sickle shape of the red blood cells can be easily seen under a microscope

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