This experiment was conducted in order to identify the formed elements within blood, to measure blood
cholesterol levels, and to determine blood type and to understand its genetic basis. Blood is composed of cells that
are found in a plasma matrix. Of the formed elements, there are red, white, and platelet cells. The purpose of the red
blood cells is to carry oxygen to the tissues of the body. There are five types of white blood cells- neutrophils,
eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes- all of whose purpose is to combat infection. The last
component of blood, the platelets, functions in order to clot broken vessels. The blood type of a person is determined
by the presence or absence of antigens found on the red blood cells. These antigens create type A, B, AB, or O blood
types, where type O lacks antigens. The first experiment conducted used a microscope to count the formed elements
found in synthetic blood. The number of red, white, and platelet cells were counted until 100 white blood cells were
found. Then, the number of cells per millimeters cubed of blood was calculated. For red blood cells, 1.7x10^7 cells
were calculated for mm^3 of blood. For platelets, 4.87x10^5 cells were calculated per cubic mm of blood, and for
white blood cells it was calculated that there were about 6.25x10^4 cells per cubic mm of blood. Based on these
results, red blood cells are most abundant in blood, followed by platelet cells, and white blood cells were the least
prevalent.
The second experiment conducted used test strips to observe cholesterol levels of five patients at an initial
and a follow up periods. Three drops of the patients’ blood for the initial testing and for the follow up testing were
placed in different wells, and a test strip was dipped into each sample. These strips were then compared to a color
chart in order to determine blood cholesterol levels for the samples. For the initial testing, it was found that patients
two and three had moderate blood cholesterol levels of about 225-250 mg/dl and patients four and five had high
cholesterol levels of about 250-300 mg/dl. Patient one had a low level of cholesterol that was in the 150-175 range.
It was suggested that the patients with high levels of cholesterol attempt a diet in order to manage their cholesterol.
The follow up blood samples showed that patient 5 was unresponsive to treatment and that his cholesterol levels
remained high. Treatment also failed for patients two and three, and they experienced a rise in blood cholesterol
levels. Treatment did work for patient four, whose blood cholesterol levels dropped into an acceptable range of 200225 mg/dl. Patient one kept a consistently low blood cholesterol level. Based on these results, it would be suggested
that the patients who were unresponsive to the diet treatment be put on cholesterol managing medications.
The third experiment that was conducted tested two blood samples for blood type by adding anti-serums A,
B and Rh to samples of the blood. Based on coagulation of the sample, the blood type was determined. In the
experiment, blood sample Z showed coagulation when in contact with all three anti-serums, while blood sample W
showed no coagulation. This meant that blood sample Z was blood type AB+ and that blood type W was O-.
Because of the appearance of both the A and B antibodies in sample Z, the blood type was AB, and because of the
absence of these antibodies on cells from sample W, the blood type was O.
The fourth experiment analyzed blood splatter at different speeds, heights, and angles. To analyze the
splatter from different heights, synthetic blood was held 6 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, 30 inches, and 36
inches above and index card, and the diameter of the splatter was measured. The splatters were 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0,
and 2.2 cm respectively. Based on these results, the higher the blood fell from, the larger the resulting splatter would
be. Next, blood drop distances were analyzed as blood was squeezed from a bottle at a walking and a jogging pace.
It was found that at a walking pace, the blood drops were evenly spaced about 2 feet apart, while at a running pace,
the drops were spaced farther apart at about 3 feet. Based on these results, it was inferred that faster speeds create a
greater distance between the blood drops. The third test examined the effect of different angles on blood splatter.
Three index cards had blood dripped on them with the first lying flat, the second being held at 30-40°, and the third
held at 60-70°. The flat card showed circular drops of blood, the thirty degree card showed oval drops that had small
tails, and the card held at sixty degrees produced drops that were long streaks with small oval heads. Based on these
results, it was concluded that the steeper the angle that the card was held at, the longer and less circular the blood
streaks got.
The last experiment combined techniques used in the past four experiments in order to solve a crime using
blood samples from the scene. At the scene, two blood samples were collected. One was from the suspect, and the
other was from Ryan, who cut his hand when at the scene. Using the blood samples collected from the scene and
from each of the suspects, the blood types were found using the A, B, and Rh anti-serums. Ryan’s blood was found
to be AB-. The blood collected at the scene was found to be AB+, which matched the blood samples produced by
the suspects Wanda and Meg. So based on this data, it was believed that either Wanda or Meg committed the crime.
The significance of the information learned from this experiment can be applied to certain scenarios such as
crime scenes. Blood types can easily be determined based on antibody presence or absence, and can be used to
match blood found at crime scenes to potential suspects. Blood splatter can also be used to find information about
things such as the height of suspects or victims based on the diameter of blood splatter, the speed at which a suspect
or a victim was trying to escape, or body positioning and angles of the suspect or victim based on the length of the
blood splatters. Blood sample can also be used in order to test for cholesterol levels, which if monitored closely can
prevent further health disparities, and white blood cell levels can be counted in the blood to test for infection.