quickly carried to the right along the whole length of 

 the slide (Fig. 5). Immediately the film is made it 

 should be waved to and fro until it is seen to be quite 



Fig. 5. Authors' method of making blood films 



dry. The quicker the film dries the more perfectly 

 preserved will be the red cells of the blood. 



THE CHARACTERS OF. A GOOD FILM 



1. As a film is needed for the detection of 

 minute forms of the parasite within the red cell, the 

 film must be uniform and as thin as possible. 



2. Films should be made so that, if desired, the 

 leucocytes may be differentially counted. A little 

 practice will enable one to make films with the upper 

 and lower edges more or less parallel with the edges of 

 the slide, and terminating in a pointed manner about 

 half an inch from the right hand end of the slide. 



3. In the case of very anaemic bloods, e.g., those 

 of ' malarial cachexia,' difficulty will arise from the film 

 being too thin. The needle in this case must be 

 carried very loosely and rapidly along the slide and a 

 thicker film thus made. When blood with difficulty 

 adheres to the slide, good evidence of extreme anaemia 

 is obtained. 



