HISTORY OF THE MICROSCOPE
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It is frequently said that knowledge is power. The basic
truth of this statement can be found at the most basic levels
of existence. A songbird living in a forest can survive only
by knowing that certain plants have certain edible seeds,
and that certain trees are safe places to spend the night,
and so on. The little bird’s knowledge of its environment
gives it the power to survive. Animals like songbirds, and
people, too, rely on their senses of sight, hearing, taste,
touch, and smell to gain knowledge that will increase their
chances of survival, and make their life more enjoyable. One
animal, with a capacity for curiosity and the ability to use
tools, has carried the pursuit of knowledge beyond the powers
of the five senses. That animal is the Human Being.
We use objects that extend, or enhance our senses every day.
Some of us wear glasses to see better, many of us listen to
radios, or watch television in order to hear and see things
that we wouldn’t be able to see or hear without the
help of these devices. Since so much of what we know about
our world is learned with our sense of sight, the instruments
which help enhance, or extend our sense of vision play a very
important role in our quest for knowledge, and in helping
us to survive, and to also enjoy the world in which we live.
One instrument that has, perhaps, had the most important role
in understanding our world is the Microscope.
It is thought that the earliest, most primitive magnifying
devices were probably transparent crystal type rocks. It’s
very likely that one of the first “scientists”
of early man picked up a crystal that was slightly thicker
in the middle and noticed that things seen through it looked
larger. It wasn’t long before some one noticed that
the sun’s rays could be focused through these crystals
and pointed on flammable objects, like sticks, leaves or paper,
allowing the user to start fires. “Burning glasses”,
and “Magnifying glasses” are mentioned in the
writings of Roman philosophers from nearly 2000 years ago,
but it wasn’t until the late 1200’s that the use
of “lens-shaped” crystals (named for their shape,
which resembled lentil beans) were used. It wasn’t until
about 1590 that two Dutch spectacle (eye glass) makers, Zaccharias
Janssen and his son Hans, discovered that several of their
lenses mounted in a tube allowed them to see greatly magnified
images of very small things. In 1609, Galileo, the father
of astronomy and modern physics, made a refinement of this
instrument with a focusing device.
Story continued on Who
invented the microscope?
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