Methods and machines for drying blood smears and an automatic smearing device

An automatic smearing device, said device comprising:

• a blood smear preparing module which prepares a blood smear by placing a blood drop on one end of a slide on a major surface of the slide and spreading the blood drop substantially in a direction from the one end of the slide to another end of the slide;
• a staining module which stains the blood smear;
• and
• a machine for drying a blood smear, comprising:
• a gas inlet which transfers a dry gas and a drying body in which a blood smear to be dried is inserted, wherein the drying body comprises an inlet for flowing the dry gas into the drying body and an outlet for flowing the dry gas out of the drying body, and the gas inlet transfers the dry gas into the drying body through the inlet of the drying body, wherein respective locations of the inlet of the drying body and the outlet of the drying body are arranged to have the dry gas flow over the major surface of the slide from the one end of the slide to the another end of the slide in substantially the same direction that the blood drop was spread.