Hematology is the study of the blood and blood disorders in the body. A hematologist is a physician who has expertise in diseases of the blood and bone marrow, and treats vascular and clotting problems. The hematologist also treats blood disorders such as hemophilia, leukemia, lymphoma, anemia and sickle cell disease.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are malaria, lymphoma, non-hodgkin's lymphoma, myelomas, evans' syndrome, aids, leukemia, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, sickle-cell disease, myeloma, pernicious anemia, hodgkin's disease, thalassemia, myelofibrosis, infectious mononucleosis, agranulocytosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (sle), megaloblastic anemia, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, blood transfusion, radiotherapy, intramuscular injections, anticoagulation therapy, and venesection.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including coombs test, d-dimer, prothrombin time, bone marrow biopsy, protein electrophoresis, serum ferritin level, partial thromboplastin time, vitamin b12 and folate levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr), blood film, full blood count, and hemoglobin electrophoresis.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Alabama has 99 practicing hematologists. Broken out by city, hematology doctor density in Alabaster is 1, in Alexander City is 1, in Anniston is 2, in Bessemer is 3, in Birmingham is 54, in Boaz is 1, in Clanton is 1, in Cullman is 2, in Daphne is 1, in Decatur is 4, in Dothan is 2, in Fairfield is 1, in Fairhope is 1, in Florence is 1, in Foley is 6, in Fort Payne is 1, in Gadsden is 1, in Huntsville is 8, in Jasper is 2, in Madison is 2, in Mobile is 8, in Montgomery is 4, in Oneonta is 1, in Opp is 2, in Prattville is 2, in Russellville is 1, in Scottsboro is 2, in Selma is 3, in Sheffield is 1, in Spanish Fort is 1, in Sulligent is 1, in Sylacauga is 2, in Talladega is 1, in Tuscaloosa is 2, in Vestavia is 1, and in Winfield is 1.

Montgomery is the capital city of this southern state, though Birmingham is its largest city. Population in 2005 was 4,557,808. Alabama is the birthplace of historical figures Hank Aaron, Helen Keller, and George Washington Carver. Take an airboat tour on the Mobile river delta, see the Alabama Civil Rights museum in Mantua, or tour the Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham. Visit the Shakespeare Festival Theater Complex in Montgomery, or play a round of golf at one of Alabama’s many acclaimed courses. From the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the state’s north to the Gulf coast beaches in the south, Alabama’s scenery includes a varied and diverse landscape.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Alabama has a population of 4,557,808. Of this population, 1,074,627 are under the age of 18 and 600,258 are at or above the age of 65.