Microscope History

Categories: Outside the Box, New Products

On September 17, 1683 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch businessman and lens crafter wrote to the Royal Society in London about observations on the plaque between his own teeth with his homemade microscope, "a little white matter, which is as thick as if 'twere batter." He repeated these observations on two ladies and on two old men who had never cleaned their teeth in their lives. Looking at these samples with his hand made microscope, Leeuwenhoek reported how in his own mouth: "I then most always saw, with great wonder, that in the said matter there were many very little living animalcules, very prettily a-moving. The biggest sort had a very strong and swift motion, and shot through the water (or spittle) like a pike does through the water. The second sort oft-times spun round like a top and these were far more in number." In the mouth of one of the old men, Leeuwenhoek found "an unbelievably great company of living animalcules, a-swimming more nimbly than any I had ever seen up to this time. The biggest sort bent their body into curves in going forwards. Moreover, the other animalcules were in such enormous numbers, that all the water seemed to be alive." These were the first observations on living bacteria ever recorded.

Van Leeuwenhoek did not invent the microscope, but he's remembered as the "Father of Microbiology" because of his major discoveries. Eyeglass makers in the Netherlands and Italy invented the first true microscopes, separately and almost simultaneously 100 years before van Leeuwenhoek. In 1893 August Kohler developed a key technique for sample illumination, "Kohler illumination," which is central to modern light microscopy. This method of sample illumination gives rise to extremely even lighting and modern optical microscopes.

Click ahead to read about the modern microscopic capablities available at QuickMedical for your lab or classroom.

QuickMedical offers quality monocular and binocular microscopes in a range of prices, illumination sources, and magnification choices. Bristoline Microscopes are well-known microscopes for use in schools, hospitals, or laboratories. Binocular Microscopes are known to increase comfort and productivity in prolonged use situations.

Sharp, high contrast images and a rigid, cast alloy aluminum frame make the BR3002 Microscope Series an excellent choice for educators or medical professionals. Durable and ergonomic by design, the 3002 is built for many years of dependable use. The BR3002 can be either a binocular or monocular viewing head, sitting at a 30 degree incline and fully rotatable to 360 degrees with single diopter adjustment and interpupillary distance adjustment between 55 and 75 mm. The Bristoline Microscope features WF10x/18.5 mm field of view eyepieces as well as a pointer that comes standard in one eyepiece. BR3002 Binocular Microscope eyepieces are locked-in to prevent classroom tampering.

 

Source: Quick Medical Staff on Monday, October 08, 2012