Introduction to Peripheral Blood Cells
Leukocytes or White Blood Cells (WBC's)
The second group of cells are the leukocytes or white blood cells (WBC's). The leukocytes can be divided into two groups: mononuclear and granulocytic cells. Leukocytes are involved in various ways with the body's defense mechanisms. The cell shown in the upper image is a mononuclear cell, in this case a monocyte. The cell shown in the lower image is a granulocyte, in this case a neutrophil. These cells will be presented in much more detail later.