History of Compound Light Microscopes
The simplest definition for a microscope is a piece of equipment used to create magnified images of an object. In most cases, the objects are small and thus require magnification to make them more visible. Larger objects may also be viewed with a microscope if one wishes to see certain parts of it in greater detail. Today, microscopes are extremely useful in almost all branches of science and in many sectors of the industry. Its evolution from the very first model of microscope is impressive and interesting to explore.
The History of Compound Light Microscopes
Compound light microscopes today are, although still useful, already considered simple and basic especially when compared to the more powerful electron and scanning probe microscopes. But in the old days, however, compound light microscopes were considered highly advanced and a much-celebrated innovation. Check out http://www.compound-light-microscope.com for more information about this type of microscope.
The origins of the compound light microscope go as far back as the times of ancient civilizations. Back then, they used “burning glass” as magnifying glasses. But the first type of magnifying glass as we know it today only emerged in the 1200s. It was in 1268 that Roger Bacon had discovered the glass lens. In his effort to improve what “burning glass” could do, Bacon unintentionally cause a crystal sphere to break into pieces and observing the images it produced had enlightened him about the use of glass lens.
At first, glass lenses were only used to correct human vision. Eyeglasses then were called spectacles. Several centuries had passed before people were able to discover another purpose for them. It was the influx of radical scientific ideas in the 17th century that soon gave way to the invention of the telescope, and later on the microscope, both of which were generally built on the concept of how glass lenses worked.
In the 1500s, Hans Lippershey, a Dutch optician, invented the telescope. His invention was later on greatly improved and modified by the famous scientist Galileo Galilei. His astounding discoveries had made people see the whole world in a new light – literally and figuratively. At the latter part of the century, England witnessed the invention of the microscope. Historical accounts differ when it comes to the discovery of one of the most important scientific equipment in history. Some say that the microscope was discovered when a telescope was accidentally inverted. In any case, the earliest models of microscopes were just composed of a tube with a plate (the equivalent of a microscope’s stage today) for the sample or specimen then glass lens placed at the tube’s other end. Its total magnification level didn’t even go beyond 10x. Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient in allowing people to study protozoans and bacteria in greater detail.
It was not until the success of the father-and-son tandem of Zaccharias and Han Jansseen that the world was able to use the first microscope model that had two types of lenses at work. It was their model that first made use of eyepieces and objective lenses. Their work spawned the establishment of numerous optical shops across Europe and generated interest in observing microscopic subjects. In the 17th century, the microscope not only became a scientific piece of equipment but was also considered as a hobbyist’s toy for the upper class!
In the 1600’s, two names rang loud in the field of microscopy and those were Marcello Malpighi and Robert Hooke. Malpighi was an Italian physiologist and acknowledged as the father of early histology and embryology. At an early age, Malpighi had been set on challenging traditional beliefs in science and his hard work and effort paid off in the end. Malpighi made numerous discoveries, aided by microscopes and powered by his brilliantly analytical mind.
Robert Hooke hailed from England and was educated in Oxford. He discovered plant cells and his most famous published work, the Micrographia, contained awesome illustrations of his observations – observations that were incredibly ahead of his time.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
Although Dutch in blood, Leeuwenhoek was made a member of the Royal Society of England because of his various contributions to microscopy. Both he and Hooke made considerable modifications to the microscopes of their times, making them more powerful and useful in consequence. He was able to create the first practical microscope and it used pure glass for its lenses rather than the greenish glass, which was of substandard quality, often used in his time.
In 1880, Ernst Abbe, who conceptualized the optical theory of lenses for microscopes, designed the first oil immersion objectives lenses and which were then produced by Carl Zeiss Jena. In 1896, Hugh Powell of Powell and Lealand, a famous and well-respected maker of high quality microscopes, created apochromat immersion lens. Other important names in recent times were Amici, Naci, and Ross, Smick, and Beck.
