When I look back, at my age of ninety, I can see how far medical technology has come through these years. I could never forget the limited facilities I had for teaching science in India early in my career. It was only after I moved to the United States that I was exposed to advanced medical laboratory education. After gaining years of teaching experience on the subject here, I felt compelled to share what I learned with my people whom I had left behind. Endless support came from my new friends in the United States as well as in India with whom I worked during my tenure as a Fulbright Professor to lecture on Medical Laboratory Technology across India. The best support was from the readers and academic institutions of developing countries, who honoured our honest efforts. This would have not been possible without the help from numerous doctors from rural and urban regions of India and people who were associated with the most advanced laboratories in the United States. Thus the book stands as a model of collaboration in the field of medical technology between those who truly understand the needs of the developing world and those who have the knowledge of the developed world. I acknowledge with a deep sense of gratitude, my friends, colleagues, students and members of my own family who have contributed to this bold endeavour.

Unfortunately, as I have observed, there remains a significant lack of professionalism in the clinical laboratories of many developing countries. This has resulted in unreliable laboratory reports that can then lead to wrong diagnoses, and as a result, unnecessary illness and death. A firm understanding of the critical role of laboratories in alleviating human suffering may help increase the care and diligence with which laboratory technicians perform their jobs. I hope and pray that this book can help make that change.

Formerly Clinical Laboratory Supervisor, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Metropolis Clinical Pathology Laboratory Mumbai, Maharashtra, India