PARASITOLOGY LABORATORY

EXERCISE NO. 1 PROCEDURE

MICROSCOPE: PROPER USE AND CARE

ACTIVITY LEARNING OUTCOME:

At the end of this exercise, the student should be able to:

1. Explain the different types of microscopes.

2. Elucidate the proper use and care of a microscope.
3. Identify the parts of a microscope and explain the functions of each.
4. Compute for total magnification using different microscope lenses.

PRE- LAB ACTIVITIES:

Prepare the necessary materials to be used in the experiment. Make sure that the
laboratory table is clean. Wear your PPE.

MATERIALS AND INSTRUMENTS

Lens paper
Oil immersion
Prepared Protozoan and Metazoan Slides (Parasitology slides)
Color pencils and pencils for drawing
Microscope
Cleaning solution

PROCEDURE

1. Always carry the microscope in an upright position with two hands. One hand should
support the base and the other should be on the arm.
2. Always set your microscope on a clean, flat surface.
3. Place the microscope on the bench squarely and on a stable position.
4. Study the parts of the compound light microscope.
5. Turn the LED Illumination ON. Rotating the brightness adjustment knob will increase
or decrease the brightness. The figures around the knob represent rough indication of the
brightness.
6. Get a prepared slide and place it on the mechanical stage of the microscope.
7. Adjust the interpupillary distance of the microscope to your personal measurement.
8. Raise the condenser up to the stage and adjust the iris diaphragm for proper
illumination.
9. Adjust the diopter to compensate for the difference of eyesight between left and right
eyes of the observer.
10. Focus first with the scanner to view the presence of the specimen. Do not rotate the
revolving nosepiece by holding the objective lens.
11. Then focus with the low power objective (LPO). In focusing, turn the coarse
adjustment carefully within the Working Distance (WD), distance between the objective
and the specimen when precise focus of the specimen is obtained.
Objective 4x 10x 40x 100x
Magnification
WD (mm) 27.8 8.0 0.6 0.13
Table 1.1. Working Distance (From CX23 Olympus Biological Microscope Instruction Manual)
12. Then turn the fine adjustment until you clearly see the object in focus.
13. When an image has been brought into focus with the LPO, switch to high power
objective and still the subject will remain in focus. All the objectives are parfocal, that is
when a subject is in focus with one lens, it would be in focus with all of the lenses.
14. For high power objective (HPO), rotate slightly the fine adjustment knob to observe
clearly the subject in focus. Slight adjustment is required for clear viewing of the slides.
For high power viewing, more light is usually needed.
15. Before engaging the oil immersion objective (OIO) in the light path, apply a drop of
the immersion oil onto the specimen at the area to be observed.
16. Rotate the revolving nosepiece to engage the oil immersion objective in the light path
and bring the specimen into focus with the fine adjustment knob. 17. After use, lower the
stage and rotate the revolving nosepiece for 90 degrees to remove the objective to which
the oil is applied.
18. Then, thoroughly wipe off the immersion oil from the front lenses of the objective and
the condenser with lens paper slightly moistened with absolute alcohol. Paper towel will
scratch the lenses. Use soft cloth to clean other parts of the microscope. Wipe off the
immersion oil from the specimen top using clean gauze.

TOTAL MAGNIFICATION (TM)

The Total Magnification of the specimen image for observation is obtained by multiplying
the eyepiece magnification by the objective magnification.

RESOLUTION

Resolution represents how finely a lens is able to distinguish the details of a specimen.
Resolution is mainly determined by the ability of the objective and scarcely related to that
of the eyepieces. The function of the eyepieces is to just magnify an image already
resolved by the objective. In case total magnifications are the same, better resolution is
obtained with the combinations which have higher magnification of objective.

FIELD NUMBERS

The field number is the diameter of the image observed through an eyepiece, indicated
in millimeters.
ACTUAL FIELD OF VIEW (AFV)

The actual field of view is the size of the specimen actually observed in the microscope.
This makes it possible to find out approximate size of the specimen.

Actual field of view = Field number/Objective magnification

When the eyepiece field number 20 and the objective magnification 10X are used, the
actual field of view is equal to:
Actual field of view = 20/10 = 2.0 mm

Figure 1.2. Optical Characteristics (From CX23 Olympus Biological Microscope Instruction Manual)

HANDLING PRECAUTIONS

1. Handle the microscope with care when carrying it, and avoid subjecting it to severe
impact or dirt.
2. Do not use the microscope where it is subjected to direct sunlight, high temperature
and humidity, dust or vibrations.
3. Make sure to adjust the rotation tension of the coarse adjustment knob with the tension
adjustment ring.
4. When installing the microscope, be sure to leave enough space around the AC adapter
if the AC adapter is not stored in the microscope.
5. When carrying this microscope, remove the AC adapter or store the AC adapter and
the power cords into the microscope. Then, hold both sides of the arm hole and carry the
microscope carefully. It is easier to hold the arm hole by putting the ball of your fingers at
the finger contact area.
6. Do not hold the stage or observation tube, since they may be damaged. Also, when
carrying the microscope, remove specimens or filters in advance. Otherwise, they may
be dropped.
7. When carrying the microscope, be careful not to hit the output connector of the AC
adapter. The AC adapter or the microscope may be damaged.
8. When carrying the microscope, be careful not to touch the objective.