Hemocytometer
![A hemocytometer. The two semi-reflective rectangles are the counting chambers.](/Images/godic/202501/06/Hemocytometer_with_gloved_hand2352.JPG")
![Load a chamber](/Images/godic/202501/06/Hemocytometer2352.jpg")
![Hemocytometer grid (see table)](/Images/godic/202501/06/Haemocytometer_Grid2352.png")
![Empty hemocytometer grid at 100x power.](/Images/godic/202501/06/Hemocytometer_grid_100x2352.jpg")
The hemocytometer is a device used to count cells. It was originally designed for the counting of blood cells.
The hemocytometer was invented by Louis-Charles Malassez and consists of a thick glass microscope slide with a rectangular indentation that creates a chamber. This chamber is engraved with a laser-etched grid of perpendicular lines. The device is carefully crafted so that the area bounded by the lines is known, and the depth of the chamber is also known. It is therefore possible to count the number of cells or particles in a specific volume of fluid, and thereby calculate the concentration of cells in the fluid overall.