A method is presented for programming a digital computer, used in conjunction with a television scanning system, to count and size solidly and contrastingly stained cells of different shapes and sizes as found on slides prepared for histological study. When the operating times of the program are considered, it is found that machine counting and sizing is very much faster than a manual performance of the same operations. A program prepared in accordance with the method presented operated satisfactorily on the Illiac digital computer.