Electron Microscopy of Sickle Cells

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Abstract
A modification of the Beck-Hertz technic, in which the cells are collected in paraffin-lined tubes containing powdered heparin and washed repeatedly in physiologic saline after anoxic sickling, permits direct mounting of sickle cells for electron microscopy. Electron micrographs of sickle cells (x 5,000) substantiate optical studies as to structural detail. In addition, corpuscular Hb-membrane relationships are further visualized. Withdrawal of Hb from a large area in the concavity of the crescent leaves the opposing corpuscular surfaces in near approximation. Extreme elongation of polar filaments (x 13,000) is visualized. The Hb is not always distributed homgeneously along the filament core.

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