Tracing our roots: origins of clinical laboratory science.

OBJECTIVE: To trace the roots of clinical laboratory science by explaining how women initially gained access to scientific work and to describe the emergence of clinical laboratories. DESIGN: A survey of literature on the history of clinical laboratory science was conducted. References consulted include various books and professional journals. CONCLUSION: The origin of the field of clinical laboratory science can be traced to the early 1900s. Between 1890 and 1910, women were able, for the first time, to pursue careers in scientific professions, clinical laboratories became established in hospitals, and the clinical utility of laboratory tests became more widely recognized by physicians.