L. W. Diggs

Journal Article Sickle Cell Crises: Ward Burdick Award Contribution Get access L. W. Diggs, M.D. L. W. Diggs, M.D. Division of Hematology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and the City of Memphis Hospitals, Memphis, Tennessee Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Volume 44, Issue 1, 1 July 1965, Pages 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/44.1.1 Published: 01 July 1965 Article history Received: 13 March 1965 Published: 01 July 1965

IF ONE takes a drop of blood from each member of an unselected series of negroes, seals the drops under cover-slips, and examines them micro-scopically over a period of hours, he observes striking curved and pointed distortions of the erythrocytes in an appreciable number of the preparations. (Figure 1.) Erythrocytes assuming such bizarre stellate shapes are called " sickled cells " and individuals whose erythrocytes are capable of under-going such a metamorphosis under suitable conditions are said to possess the " sickle cell trait. " The anomaly is hereditary and is thought to be trans-mitted as a dominant Mendelian characteristic. Within the large group of those who inherit the sickle cell trait, an undetermined number, due to factors unknown, develop varying degrees of " sickle cell anemia, " a hemolytic type of blood dyscrasia with characteristic clinical and pathological features. Estimations of the frequency of occurrence of the sickle cell trait have been recorded by a number of observers, but the number of individuals examined has been relatively few; most of the studies have been made on