Existing comment:
Evolution of the Microscope display.
The microscope, a basic tool in the study of diseases, has made possible some of the greatest achievements in medicine.
This exhibit, in presenting the evolution of the microscope, portrays some of the early uses of the instrument. Many of the significant advancements and certain of the scientists who contributed to medical knowledge through the use of the microscope.
The word "microscope" was coined in 1624 by a member of the First Accademia Dei Lincei, a group of scientists which included Galileo, Cesi and Stelluti. Galileo, although better known for his work with telescopes, is credited with being the first scientific user of the microscope.
At the beginning of the 19th century chromatic and spherical aberration were unsolved problems which prevented clear, undistorted microscopic images. The lenses being used were little better than those found in inexpensive toy instruments.
Unsuccessful attempts at correction with various lens combinations and diaphragms had been made by opticians and instrument makers for almost a century. "Achromatic" microscopes were produced but it was nearly 1850 before achromatic lens systems were generally accepted.
Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow, 1821-1902, the father of modern pathology, announced his doctrine of cellular pathology in 1858. It was based on the cellular theory of living structure and the observation that the microscopic appearance of cells was changed in disease. He later explained, "The essence of disease is a modified part of the organism or rather a modified cell or aggregation of cells."
By the end of the 19th century, the basic design of the microscope was firmly established. The increased demand for reliable, high quality instruments generated by the rapidly developing scientific specialties could not be met by the individual craftsmen who, until then, were the principal source.
The 20th century, therefore, became a period of refinement of the product and improvement of manufacturing methods. Particularly noteworthy were development of mass production and the establishment of standards which permitted the interchange of components and the introduction of a variety of accessories. |