Blood samples from 118 patients with acute and chronic leukaemia and with more than 50% leukaemic cells were processed with the automated haematology analyser Sysmex NE-8000. For 92 out of these 118 the differences in the histograms and scattergrams of the NE-8000 could be used in an attempt to characterise the leukaemia. This interpretation of the histograms and scattergrams appeared to be highly suggestive of the distinction between lymphatic leukaemia and myeloid leukaemia, and could be indicative of the presence of either the chronic or acute form of both the lymphatic and myeloid leukaemias.