My first day in a lab

Alec Leete recalls his first day working in a laboratory. His essay, entitled 'My first day in the laboratory' won first prize in the IBMS Millennium Essay Competition.

"Good Morning Sir, you told me to report to you."
"Oh yes I remember, just sit over there, chuck the stuff off the chair on to the floor."

The Chief glanced at me through a cloud of cigarette smoke, and carried on sucking up some easily recognisable fluid into a glass pipette from one of an assortment of bottles on his bench. In a box nearby crouched a decidedly uncomfortable looking toad. Do it yourself blue spot pregnancy tests were a long way off.

"Here are two forms for you to fill in, this one is to join the Institute the other is to join the Union, let me have them back this afternoon. Here try this white coat on, sorry about the stains - the laundry is useless."

I was taken out of the lab for what appeared to be a country walk, ending up in a side room of a distant ward block. This was the temporary home of haematology while their room in the main lab was being decorated. After meeting the senior in charge I was given a breakneck tour of the department and a very concise description of what haematology was all about. I asked what was going on down the toilet, and was told that the two glass rods laid across the bowl were a staining rack where the Leishman's were done. The secrets of how this was done were imparted later by a young lady who appeared to have been doing it all her life. In fact I learned later she had done her first only the week before! "I am now going to do a white count", the young lady informed me as she skillfully drew up some fluid into a glass pipette and transferred it to a counting chamber, putting a cover glass on top. I was told not to interrupt as she picked up a counter and proceeded to click away furiously.

Fifteen thousand she announced -probably an infection she said but it might be a leukaemia! "Did they ask for a 'diff'?" she asked; "Find me slide number 16" she then told me. She cast an apparently expert eye over the slide under high power, exclaiming "there are lots of polys and some cells I do not like the look of". The senior glanced down the mike and told her they were megakaryocytes.

Back now to the main lab as it was time for the morning break. Everyone congregated in the wash up room, which soon became full of tobacco smoke! Holding court in their room were Scottie and her assistant Min. They pulled the plug out of the sink where they had been washing blood bottles and helped the blood clots down the plug hole with their threadbare bottle brushes. The world was put right quickly, giving plenty of time to discuss Saturday's football results while coffee was drunk out of well-stained mugs. The lab porter made a noisy entrance, announcing that he had got work to do, even if no one else had! Clearing a space on the bench he proceeded to sharpen a box full of needles on a small stone. "No wonder the patients are always complaining when I do a venepuncture" said one of the techs, "just look at the hook on the end of that needle". Reggie retorted "Well if you think you can do it any better, you are welcome to try". It would be a long time before disposable needles were available.

Back in the haematology laboratory I was given a short course in how to load a white cell counting chamber, and how to do a count after the blood had been pipetted into a stoppered tube containing an amount of fluid. Inevitably the cover glass slipped off and I had to load the chamber afresh. When asked what the count was, I said about two hundred and fifty thousand I think. "Let me have a look at it", said the senior "it looks quite normal to me, have another go." I soon improved after I stopped counting the dust particles on top of the cover glass! "Now have a look down this microscope and tell me what you can see; if it's not quite in focus turn this knob a little". I did and there was an ominous click as the coverslip cracked! My mentor was forgiving, saying "Oh well I shall have to get another pernicious anaemia for my collection".

Although there was a canteen, the lab seemed to be self sufficient at lunch time, if the smell coming from the direction of bacteriology was anything to go by. I was asked if I would like to join the lunch club, and, as it was Monday would I like to go into town to help with the week's shopping? It appeared that after the plates were read in the morning and the new specimens dealt with, the real work of the day started; there was lunch to cook! The kitchen was the media room where the plates were poured for tomorrow's bugs to grow on.

After lunch I was told that I would be taken to the wards and shown how to do finger pricks. Armed with a bunch of forms, off we went to the ward to find the unsuspecting patients. The senior expertly sucked blood into his pipette and transferred it to tubes and slides. It was now my turn; with hand shaking like a leaf I approached a patient. Ten minutes later, after several assaults with the needle, I still had not got the required amount of blood without any bubbles into the correct tube! My colleagues came to the rescue, deftly sucking the blood into the pipette without a bubble in sight. My attempts to make a blood film were another disaster as I managed to drop the slide onto the floor and had to crawl under the patientÕs bed to recover it, much to the amusement of the rest of the ward.

On our return journey we passed two formidable looking gents talking with strong Irish accents. I was told that they were the histopathologist and the PM porter, Prendy and Puddy. We passed through the museum on the way back. It had many glass jars containing rather drab specimens, few of which I recognised. I didn't know then that I would choose to spend two years in that department, during which time I would mount many new specimens.

It was almost 5.30 - my first day in pathology was almost over. I was offered a lift on someone's Lambretta and was soon hurtling homewards with many tales to tell.

Tags: History

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