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. Florida has 715 practicing hematologists. Broken out by city, hematology doctor density in Alachua is 1, in Altamonte Springs is 18, in Aventura is 12, in Bartow is 1, in Boca Raton is 20, in Bonita Springs is 16, in Boynton Beach is 27, in Bradenton is 12, in Brooksville is 5, in Cape Coral is 12, in Clearwater is 9, in Clermont is 4, in Cocoa Beach is 7, in Coral Gables is 2, in Coral Springs is 6, in Crestview is 3, in Crystal River is 4, in Dade City is 2, in Daytona Beach is 10, in Deerfield Beach is 3, in Delray Beach is 9, in Deltona is 1, in Destin is 3, in Fernandina Beach is 3, in Fort Lauderdale is 29, in Fort Myers is 21, in Fort Pierce is 6, in Fort Walton Beach is 4, in Gainesville is 48, in Hialeah is 12, in Hollywood is 22, in Homestead is 2, in Inverness is 3, in Jacksonville is 72, in Jacksonville Beach is 4, in Jupiter is 10, in Key West is 2, in Kissimmee is 11, in Lady Lake is 9, in Lake Mary is 4, in Lake Worth is 14, in Lakeland is 7, in Largo is 16, in Lauderdale Lakes is 2, in Lauderhill is 5, in Leesburg is 10, in Longwood is 4, in Margate is 1, in Melbourne is 12, in Miami is 96, in Miami Beach is 12, in Naples is 11, in New Port Richey is 17, in New Smyrna Beach is 5, in North Miami is 2, in North Miami Beach is 3, in Oakland Park is 1, in Ocala is 11, in Ocoee is 7, in Orange City is 6, in Orange Park is 12, in Orlando is 57, in Ormond Beach is 14, in Palatka is 8, in Palm Bay is 1, in Palm Beach Gardens is 4, in Palm Coast is 9, in Panama City is 4, in Parkland is 1, in Pembroke Pines is 19, in Pensacola is 22, in Pinellas Park is 1, in Plant City is 4, in Plantation is 8, in Pompano Beach is 7, in Port Orange is 3, in Punta Gorda is 1, in Rockledge is 4, in Safety Harbor is 11, in Sanford is 5, in Sarasota is 11, in Sebastian is 1, in Seminole is 3, in South Miami is 5, in South Pasadena is 7, in Stuart is 7, in Sunrise is 2, in Tallahassee is 6, in Tamarac is 9, in Tampa is 78, in Tarpon Springs is 3, in Tavares is 4, in Titusville is 8, in Venice is 7, in Vero Beach is 3, in West Palm Beach is 20, in Weston is 4, in Winter Haven is 3, in Winter Park is 7, and in Zephyrhills is 2.

Florida’s warm and humid subtropical climate makes it a winter destination for many. Population in 2000 was 15,982,378, according to census statistics. Tallahassee, located in the north panhandle area, is the state capital. Tourism is a major industry in Florida, with Cape Canaveral, Disney World, the Everglades National Park, Universal Studios, the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast all destinations for visitors and residents. Year-round outdoor activities include camping, golf, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Florida has a population of 17,789,864. Of this population, 3,975,071 are under the age of 18 and 2,978,335 are at or above the age of 65.