An elution procedure for visualization of adult hemoglobins in human blood smears

A procedure is described for visualization of normal and mutant adult hemoglobins in human blood smears. After extraction of blood smears with a concentrated potassium phosphate buffer (2.76 M, pH 7.2), erythrocytes that had adult hemoglobins stained bright red with erythrosin, whereas cells that had only fetal hemoglobin appeared as clear ghosts. Analyses of cord blood from newborn infants indicate that, although most erythrocytes contain obly Hb F and a few contain only Hb A, many contain both hemoglobins A and F.