We present the results of 3 years' experience of rapid pre-screening in cervical cytology. In our laboratory we rapidly pre-screen all smears. The performance of each primary screener can be assessed. In addition, the relative sensitivity and specificity of each rapid pre-screener can itself be continuously monitored using the final report as a yardstick. In our laboratory individual sensitivity of rapid pre-screening for the detection of high-grade abnormalities was in the range of 44-90% with an overall laboratory sensitivity of 69%. Specificity was in the range of 94-99% with an overall laboratory specificity of 98%. Rapid pre-screening allows checking of the checkers and pathologists and tends to promote uniformity in the assessment of smear adequacy. This form of continuous quality assurance is practical, convenient and acceptable to staff.

In a newborn twin with haemolytic anaemia an unstable fetal haemoglobin was found to be the cause. The anaemia improved spontaneously with the disappearance of the fetal haemoglobin. The new Hb F (alpha2gamma2) variant was shown to have a glycine at position 130 of the 146 residues of the gamma chain. This portion is inside the globin molecule and in all known normal globins it is occupied by a residue with a bulky hydrophobic side chain. Its replacement by glycine which has no side chain would be expected to cause instability. The human gamma-chains may either have a glycine or an alanine at position 136. Evidence is brought forward to suggest that in the abnormal chain position 136 is occupied by glycine.

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Incomplete expression of human haemoglobin beta-chains at birth may lead to difficulty in the early demonstration of an inherited beta-chain variant. In this case, the rare unstable variant, Hb Tacoma beta30 (B12) arg leads to ser, although not present in cord blood in sufficient amounts to be easily detected by routine electrophoretic techniques, was readily shown to be present by the striking inclusions provoked by prolonged incubation of the neonatal red cells with new methylene blue.