The present invention relates to a disposable cartridge for characterizingparticles suspended in a liquid, especially a self-contained disposablecartridge for single-use analysis, such as for single-use analysis of a smallquantity of whole blood. The self-contained disposable cartridge facilitates astraightforward testing procedure, which can be performed by most peoplewithout any particular education. Furthermore, the apparatus used to performthe test on the cartridge is simple, maintenance free, and portable.