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The history of microscopy

During that historic period known as the Renaissance, after the "dark" Middle Ages, there occurred the
inventions of printing, gunpowder and the mariner's compass, followed by the discovery of America.
Equally remarkable was the invention of the light microscope: an instrument that enables the human
eye, by means of a lens or combinations of lenses, to observe enlarged images of tiny objects. It made
visible the fascinating details of worlds within worlds.
Invention of Glass Lenses
Long before, in the hazy unrecorded past, someone picked up a piece of transparent crystal thicker in
the middle than at the edges, looked through it, and discovered that it made things look larger. Someone
also found that such a crystal would focus the sun's rays and set fire to a piece of parchment or cloth.
Magnifiers and "burning glasses" or "magnifying glasses" are mentioned in the writings of Seneca and
Pliny the Elder, Roman philosophers during the first century A. D., but apparently they were not used
much until the invention of spectacles, toward the end of the 13th century. They were named lenses
because they are shaped like the seeds of a lentil.
The earliest simple microscope was merely a tube with a plate for the object at one end and, at the
other, a lens which gave a magnification less than ten diameters -- ten times the actual size. These
excited general wonder when used to view fleas or tiny creeping things and so were dubbed "flea
glasses."
Birth of the Light Microscope
About 1590, two Dutch spectacle makers, Zaccharias Janssen and his son Hans, while experimenting with
several lenses in a tube, discovered that nearby objects appeared greatly enlarged. That was the
forerunner of the compound microscope and of the telescope. In 1609, Galileo, father of modern physics
and astronomy, heard of these early experiments, worked out the principles of lenses, and made a much
better instrument with a focusing device.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)
The father of microscopy, Anton van Leeuwenhoek of Holland, started as an apprentice in a dry goods
store where magnifying glasses were used to count the threads in cloth. He taught himself new methods
for grinding and polishing tiny lenses of great curvature which gave magnifications up to 270 diameters,
the finest known at that time. These led to the building of his microscopes and the biological discoveries
for which he is famous. He was the first to see and describe bacteria, yeast plants, the teeming life in a
drop of water, and the circulation of blood corpuscles in capillaries. During a long life he used his lenses
to make pioneer studies on an extraordinary variety of things, both living and non living, and reported
his findings in over a hundred letters to the Royal Society of England and the French Academy.
Robert Hooke
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Robert Hooke, the English father of microscopy, re-confirmed Anton van Leeuwenhoek's discoveries of
the existence of tiny living organisms in a drop of water. Hooke made a copy of Leeuwenhoek's light
microscope and then improved upon his design.
Charles A. Spencer
Later, few major improvements were made until the middle of the 19th century. Then several European
countries began to manufacture fine optical equipment but none finer than the marvelous instruments
built by the American, Charles A. Spencer, and the industry he founded. Present day instruments,
changed but little, give magnifications up to 1250 diameters with ordinary light and up to 5000 with
blue light.
Beyond the Light Microscope
A light microscope, even one with perfect lenses and perfect illumination, simply cannot be used to
distinguish objects that are smaller than half the wavelength of light. White light has an average
wavelength of 0.55 micrometers, half of which is 0.275 micrometers. (One micrometer is a thousandth
of a millimeter, and there are about 25,000 micrometers to an inch. Micrometers are also called
microns.) Any two lines that are closer together than 0.275 micrometers will be seen as a single line,
and any object with a diameter smaller than 0.275 micrometers will be invisible or, at best, show up as
a blur. To see tiny particles under a microscope, scientists must bypass light altogether and use a
different sort of "illumination," one with a shorter wavelength.
The parts of microscope

Parts and its function
Eyepiece or ocular lens: Eyepiece is the lens, present at the top and is used to see the objects
under study. Eyepiece lens contains a magnification of 10X or 15X.
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Tube: Tube or the body tube, connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.
Resolving nosepiece: It is also known as the Turret. Resolving nosepiece has holders for the
different objective lenses. It allows the rotation of the lenses while viewing.
Objective lenses: Generally, three or four objective lenses are found on a microscope, with
ranges of 10X, 40X, 100X powers. Lenses are colour coded, the shortest lens is of the lowest
power, and the longest lens is high power lenses.
Diaphragm: Diaphragm helps in controlling the amount of light that is passing through the
opening of the stage. It is helpful in the adjustment of the control of light that enters.
Coarse adjustment knob: Used for focus on scanning. Usually the low power lens is used
enabling the movement of the tube.
Fine adjustment knob: Used for focus on oil. Moves the body tube for focussing the high
power lens.
Arm: It supports the tube of the microscope and connects to the base of the microscope.
Stage: The platform that is flat used for placing the slides under observation.
Stage clip: Stage clips hold the slides in proper place.
Condensor: The main function of condenser lens is focussing the light on the specimen
under observation. When very high powers of 400X are used, condenser lenses are very
important. Presence of condenser lens gives a sharper image as compared to the microscope
with no condenser lens.
Base: Provides basal support for the microscope.
Power switch: The main power switch that turns the illumination on or off.
The difference of prokaryotic and
eukaryotic
The distinction between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is considered to be the most important
distinction among groups of organisms. Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound
organelles, such as the nucleus, while prokaryotic cells do not. Differences in cellular
structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes include the presence of mitochondria and
chloroplasts, the cell wall, and the structure of chromosomal DNA.
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Prokaryotes were the only form of life on Earth for millions of years until more complicated
eukaryotic cells came into being through the process of evolution.

There are two primary types of cells: eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells
are called so because they have a true nucleus. The nucleus, which houses DNA, is contained
within a membrane and separated from other cellular structures. Prokaryotic cells however
have no true nucleus. DNA in a prokaryotic cell is not separated from the rest of the cell but
coiled up in a region called the nucleoid.

As organized in the Three Domain System, prokaryotes include archaeans and bacteria.
Eukaryotes include animals, plants, fungi and protists. Typically, eukaryoitc cells are more
complex and much larger than prokaryotic cells. On average, prokaryotic cells are about 10
times smaller in diameter than eukaryotic cells.

Eukaryotes grow and reproduce through a process called mitosis. In organisms that also
reproduce sexually, the reproductive cells are produced by a type of cell division called
meiosis. Most prokaryotes reproduce through a process called binary fission. During binary
fission, the single DNA molecule replicates and the original cell is divided into two identical
daughter cells.

Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms get the energy they need to grow and maintain
normal cellular function through cellular respiration. Cellular respiration has three main
stages: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and electron transport. In eukaryotes, most cellular
respiration reactions take place within the mitochondria. In prokaryotes, they occur in the
cytoplasm and/or within the cell membrane. .
The cell theory

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Formulation of the Cell Theory
In 1838, Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden were enjoying after-dinner coffee and
talking about their studies on cells. It has been suggested that when Schwann heard Schleiden
describe plant cells with nuclei, he was struck by the similarity of these plant cells to cells he
had observed in animal tissues. The two scientists went immediately to Schwann's lab to look
at his slides. Schwann published his book on animal and plant cells (Schwann 1839) the next
year, a treatise devoid of acknowledgments of anyone else's contribution, including that of
Schleiden (1838). He summarized his observations into three conclusions about cells:
1) The cell is the unit of structure, physiology, and organization in living things.
2) The cell retains a dual existence as a distinct entity and a building block in the
construction of organisms.
3) Cells form by free-cell formation, similar to the formation of crystals (spontaneous
generation).
We know today that the first two tenets are correct, but the third is clearly wrong. The
correct interpretation of cell formation by division was finally promoted by others and
formally enunciated in Rudolph Virchow's powerful dictum, "Omnis cellula e cellula"... "All
cells only arise from pre-existing cells".

The modern tenets of the Cell Theory include:
1. all known living things are made up of cells.
2. the cell is structural & functional unit of all
living things.
3. all cells come from pre-existing cells by
division.
(Spontaneous Generation does not occur).
4. cells contains hereditary information which is
passed from
cell to cell during cell division.
5. All cells are basically the same in chemical
composition.
6. all energy flow (metabolism & biochemistry) of
life occurs
within cells.


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As with any theory, its tenets are based upon previous observations and facts, which are
synthesized into a coherent whole via the scientific method. The Cell Theory is no different
being founded upon the observations of many. (Landmarks in the Study of Cells)

Credit for the first compound (more than one lens) microscope is usually given to
Zacharias Jansen, of Middleburg, Holland, around the year 1595. Since Jansen was very young
at that time, it's possible that his father Hans made the first one, but young Jansen perfected
the production. Details about the first Jansen microscopes are not clear, but there is some
evidence which allows us to make some guesses about them (Jansen microscopes).

In 1663 an English scientist, Robert Hooke, discovered cells in a piece of cork, which he
examined under his primitive microscope (figures). Actually, Hooke only observed cell walls
because cork cells are dead and without cytoplasmic contents. Hooke drew the cells he saw
and also coined the word CELL. The word cell is derived from the Latin word 'cellula' which
means small compartment. Hooke published his findings in his famous work, Micrographia:
Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses (1665).

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Ten years later Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), a Dutch businessman and a
contemporary of Hooke used his own (single lens) monocular microscopes and was the first
person to observe bacteria and protozoa. Leeuwenhoek is known to have made over 500
"microscopes," of which fewer than ten have survived to the present day. In basic design,
probably all of Leeuwenhoek's instruments were simply powerful magnifying glasses, not
compound microscopes of the type used today. Leeuwenhoek's skill at grinding lenses,
together with his naturally acute eyesight and great care in adjusting the lighting where he
worked, enabled him to build microscopes that magnified over 200 times, with clearer and
brighter images than any of his colleagues at that time. In 1673, Leeuwenhoek began writing
letters to the newly formed Royal Society of London, describing what he had seen with his
lenses. His first letter contained some observations on the stings of bees. For the next fifty
years he corresponded with the Royal Society. His observations, written in Dutch, were
translated into English or Latin and printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society. Leeuwenhoek looked at animal and plant tissues, at mineral crystals, and at fossils. He
was the first to see microscopic single celled protists with shells, the foraminifera, which he
described as "little cockles. . . no bigger than a coarse sand-grain." He discovered blood cells,
and was the first to see living sperm cells of animals. He discovered microscopic animals such
as nematodes (round worms) and rotifers. The list of his discoveries is long. Leeuwenhoek
soon became famous as his letters were published and translated. In 1680 he was elected a
full member of the Royal Society. After his death on August 30, 1723, a member of the Royal
Society wrote... "Antony van Leeuwenhoek considered that what is true in natural philosophy
can be most fruitfully investigated by the experimental method, supported by the evidence of
the senses; for which reason, by diligence and tireless labour he made with his own hand
certain most excellent lenses, with the aid of which he discovered many secrets of Nature,
now famous throughout the whole philosophical World". No truer definition of the scientific
method may be found.
Between 1680 and the early 1800's it appears that not much was accomplished in the
study of cell structure. This may be due to the lack of quality lens for microscopes and the
dedication to spend long hours of detailed observation over what microscopes existed at that
time. Leeuwenhoek did not record his methodology for grinding quality lenses and thus
microscopy suffered for over 100 years.

German natur-philosopher and microscopist, Lorenz Oken had been trained in medicine
at Freiburg University. He went on to become a renown philosopher and thinker of the 19th
century. It is reported that in 1805 Oken stated that "All living organisms originate from and
consist of cells"... which may have been the first statement of a cell theory.

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Around 1833 Robert Brown reported the discovery of the nucleus. Brown was a naturalist
who visited the "colonies of Australia" from 1801 through 1805, where he cataloged and
described over 1,700 new species of plants. Brown was an accomplished technician and an
extraordinarily gifted observer of microscopic phenomena. It was Brown who identified the
naked ovule in the gymnospermae. This is a difficult observation to make even with a modern
instrument and the benefit of hindsight. But it was with the observation of the incessant
agitation of minute suspended particles that Brown's name became inextricably linked. The
effect, since described as Brownian Movement, was first noticed by him in 1827. Having
worked on the ovum, it was natural to direct attention to the structure of pollen and its
Brown interrelationship with the pistil. In the course of his microscopic studies of the
epidermis of orchids, discovered in these cells "an opaque spot," which he named the nucleus.
Doubtless the same "spot" had been seen often enough before by other observers, but Brown
was the first to recognize it as a component part of the vegetable cell and to give it a name.
This nucleus (or areola as he called it) of the cell, was not confined to the epidermis, being
also found, in the pubescence of the surface and in the parenchyma or internal cells of the
tissue. This nucleus of the cell was not confined to only orchids, but was equally manifest in
many other monocotyledonous families and in the epidermis of dicotyledonous plants, and
even in the early stages of development of the pollen. In some plants, as Tradascantia
virginica, it was uncommonly distinct, especially in the tissue of the stigma, in the cells of the
ovum, even before impregnation, and in all the stages of formation of the grains of pollen.

It is upon the works of Hooke, Leeuwenhoek, Oken, and Brown that Schleiden and
Schwann built their Cell Theory. It was the German professor of botany at the University of
Jena, Dr. M. J. Schleiden, who brought the nucleus to popular attention, and to asserted its
all-importance in the function of a cell. Schleiden freely acknowledged his indebtedness to
Brown for first knowledge of the nucleus, but he soon carried out his own observations of the
nucleus, far beyond those of Brown. He came to believe that the nucleus is really the most
important portion of the cell, in that it is the original structure from which the remainder of
the cell is developed. He called it the cytoblast. He outlined his views in an epochal paper
published in Muller's Archives in 1838, under title of "Beitrage zur Phytogenesis." This paper
is in itself of value, yet the most important outgrowth of Schleiden's observations of the
nucleus did not spring from his own labors, but from those of a friend to whom he
mentioned his discoveries the year previous to their publication. This friend was Dr. Theodor
Schwann, professor of physiology in the University of Louvain.

Schwann was puzzling over certain details of animal histology which he could not clearly
explain. He had noted a strange resemblance of embryonic cord material, from which the
spinal column develops, to vegetable cells. Schwann recognized a cell-like character of certain
animal tissues. Schwann felt that this similarity could not be mere coincidence, and it seemed
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to fit when Schleiden called his attention to the nucleus. Then at once he reasoned that if
there really is the correspondence between vegetable and animal tissues that he suspected,
and if the nucleus is so important in the vegetable cell as Schleiden believed, the nucleus
should also be found in the ultimate particles of animal tissues. A closer study of animal
tissues under the microscope showed, in particular in embryonic tissues, that the "opaque
spots" that Schleiden described were found in abundance. The location of these nuclei at
comparatively regular intervals suggested that they are found in definite compartments of the
tissue, as Schleiden had shown to be the case with vegetables; indeed, the walls that separated
such cell-like compartments one from another were in some cases visible. Soon Schwann was
convinced that his original premise was right, and that all animal tissues are composed of
cells not unlike the cells of vegetables. Adopting the same designation, Schwann propounded
what soon became famous as the CELL THEORY. So expeditious was his observations that
he published a book early in 1839, only a few months after the appearance of Schleiden's
paper.

The main theme of his book was to unify vegetable and animal tissues. Accepting cell-
structure as the basis of all vegetable tissues, he sought to show that the same is true of
animal tissues.

And by cell Schwann meant, as did Schleiden also, what the word ordinarily implies--a
cavity walled in on all sides. He knew that the cell might be filled with fluid contents, but he
regarded these as relatively subordinate in importance to the nucleus and cell wall.

Their main thesis, the similarity of development of vegetable and animal tissues and the
cellular nature of life, was supported almost immediately by a mass of carefully gathered
evidence which a multitude of microscopists confirmed. So Schwann's work became a classic
almost from the moment of its publication. Various other workers disputed Schwann's claim
to priority of discovery, in particular an English microscopist, Valentin, who asserted that he
was working closely along the same lines. So did many others, such as Henle, Turpin, Du-
mortier, Purkinje, and Muller, all of whom Schwann himself had quoted in his work. Many
physiologists had, earlier than any of the above, foreshadowed the cell theory,
including Kaspar Friedrich Wolff around the close of the previous century, and Treviranus in
1807.

But, as we have seen in the scientific method, it is one thing to foreshadow a discovery, it
is quite another to give it full expression and make it the cornerstone of future discoveries.
And when Schwann put forward the explicit claim that "there is one universal principle of
development for the elementary parts, of organisms, however different, and this principle is
the formation of cells," he enunciated a doctrine which was for all practical purposes
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absolutely new and opened up a novel field for the microscopist to enter. A most important
era in Cell Biology dates from the publication of his book in 1839.

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Types of microscope
There are several different types of microscopes used in light microscopy, and the four most
popular types are Compound, Stereo, Digital and the Pocket or handheld microscopes.
Some types are best suited for biological applications, where others are best for classroom or
personal hobby use.
Outside of light microscopy are the exciting developments with electron microscopes and in
scanning probe microscopy.
The Compound Light Microscope
Commonly binocular (two eyepieces), the compound light microscope, combines the power
of lenses and light to enlarge the subject being viewed.
Typically, the eyepiece itself allows for 10X or 15X magnification and when combined with the
three or four objective lenses, which can be rotated into the field of view, produce higher
magnification to a maximum of around 1000X generally.
The compound light microscope is popular among botanists for studying plant cells, in
biology to view bacteria and parasites as well as a variety of human/animal cells.
It is a useful microscope in forensic labs for identifying
drug structures.
Compound light microscopes are one of the most familiar
of the different types of microscopes as they are most often
found in science and biology classrooms.
For this reason, simple models are readily available and are inexpensive.
As well, several microscopy imaging techniques benefit scientists and researchers using the
compound microscope and are worth exploring.

Click here to read about the compound light microscope in greater detail

The Stereo Microscope
The Stereo microscope, also called a dissecting microscope, has two optical paths at slightly
different angles allowing the image to be viewed three-dimensionally under the lenses.
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Stereo microscopes magnify at low power, typically between 10X and 200X, generally below
100x.
With this type of microscope you generally have the choice of purchasing the fixed or zoom
variety from a manufacturer and are relatively inexpensive.
Uses for this type of microscope include looking at surfaces, microsurgery, and watch
making, plus building and inspecting circuit boards.
Stereo microscopes allow students to observe plant photosynthesis in action.

Click here to read more about the stereo microscope.

The Digital Microscope
Step into the 21st century with a digital microscope and enter a world of amazing detail.
The digital microscope, invented in Japan in 1986, uses the power of the computer to view
objects not visible to the naked eye.
Among the different types of microscopes, this kind can be found with or without eyepieces
to peer into.
It connects to a computer monitor via a USB cable, much like connecting a printer or
mouse. The computer software allows the monitor to display the magnified specimen.
Moving images can be recorded or single images captured in the computers memory.
An advantage of digital microscopes is the ability to email images, as well as comfortably
watch moving images for long periods.
The popularity of the digital microscope has increased at schools and among hobbyists.

Click here to read about the digital microscope in more detail.

The USB Computer Microscope
Although not well suited to the same scientific applications as other light microscopes, the
USB Computer microscope, among the different types of microscopes, can be used on
almost any object and requires no preparation of the specimen.
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It is essentially a macro lens used to examine images on a computer screen plugged into its
USB port.
However, the magnification is restricted and is not comparable to your standard compound
light microscope at only up to 200X with a relatively small depth of field.
Great for hobbyists and kids, it is an inexpensive device with a purchase price usually under
$200US.

To read more on the USB Computer Microscope click here

The Pocket Microscope
In examining the different types of microscopes available on the market, the pocket
microscope may be tiny but its abilities are impressive.
This is a device which is a great gift for a child or your student. It is used by scientists for
hand-held imaging of a variety of specimens/objects in the field or in the laboratory.
It is small, durable and portable with a magnification ranging from 25x to 100x. There are
many different models available.
You may even want to check out the portable digital microscopes that are available now as
this is an invaluable tool to aid in image sharing and analysis.
To read more about the different pocket microscopes available click here

The Electron Microscope
Among the different types of microscopes, the Electron Microscope(EM) is a powerful
microscope available and used today, allowing researchers to view a specimen at nanometer
size.
The transmission electron microscope(TEM), the first type of EM, is capable of producing
images 1 nanometer in size.
The TEM is a popular choice for nanotechnology as well as semiconductor analysis and
production.
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A second type of electron microscope is the scanning electron
microscope(SEM)are approximately 10 times less powerful than TEMs,
they produce high-resolution, sharp, black and white 3D images.
The Transmission Electron Microscopes and Scanning Electron
Microscopes have practical applications in such fields as biology,
chemistry, gemology, metallurgy and industry as well as provide
information on the topography, morphology, composition and
crystallographic data of samples.

To better understand the Electron Microscope click here.

The Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM)
Among the different types of microscopes and microscopy techniques, scanning probe
microscopy is used today in academic and industrial settings for those sectors involving
physics, biology and chemistry. These instruments are used in research and development as
standard analysis tools.
Images are highly magnified and are observed as three-dimensional-shaped-specimens in real
time. SPMs employ a delicate probe to scan the surface of the specimen eliminating the
limitations that are found in electron and light microscopy.

For further information about the Scanning Probe Microscope

The Acoustic Microscope
The Acoustic Microscope is less about resolution and more about finding faults, cracks or
errors from samples during the manufacturing process.
With the use of high ultrasound, this type of microscope is the easiest intra-cavity imaging
tool available. It is a microscope that is under used primarily due to the fact that it is less
known for its capabilities.
Scanning acoustic microscopy, or SAM, is the most current type of acoustic microscopy
available to today's scientists. They can use it to view a sample internally without staining it
or causing it any damage thanks to point focusing technology, which relies on a beam to
scan and penetrate the specimen while it is in water.
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