A method for generating an image of a sample that is informative of the disease state of a cell in the sample. A sample including the cell is irradiated with monochromatic light. The Raman scattered light is assessed. A digital brightfield image of the Raman scattered light is generated and combined with the Raman scattered light emitted by the cell whereby the Raman scattered light is informative of the disease state of the cell in the sample. The method can also be used to determine the metabolic activity of the cell, the inflammatory status of the cell and/or the infected status of the cell in the sample.