The History, Development and Use of the Light and Electron Microscope.

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The History, Development and Use of the Light and Electron Microscope

Fatimah Jilani

Over time, our knowledge regarding matters in biology has developed quite rapidly with the use of microscopy. The use of microscopy has allowed us to look further into the physical side of biology especially in terms of cell ultra structures. Without the use of microscopes, we would never have even discovered cells let alone being able to know the characteristics and effects of minute detail, which is visible only through the Light and Electron Microscope.

During the historic period known to be the Renaissance, there took place the inventions of gunpowder and the mariner's compass which then lead to the discovery of America. However, during that period came the equally significant invention recognized as the microscope. The microscope being an optical instrument that uses a lens or a combination of lens to produce a magnified visual image of small minute objects. The invention of the microscope gave light to details of worlds within worlds. Looking at the advances of the technology behind the microscope you begin to wonder about the beginning of microscopes and what triggered off this development.

The earliest simple microscope was purely a tube with a plate for the object being viewed at one end and at the other end, there would have been a lens, which would give a magnification, which would be about ten times the actual size. At the time the main object of view were fleas and the microscope was dubbed as being the “flea glass.” Later on there were to come greater developments of the microscope. In 1609, a man named Galileo, known as the father of modem physics and astronomy worked out the principles of the lens and improved the microscopic instrument with a focusing device attached.

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During that century, the 17th century the best lenses were being manufactured in Holland. And from there, a Dutch man called Anton Leeuwenhoek became the first person to be able to see and describe cells and microorganisms using his own two-lens microscope. Due to this he became acknowledged as the “father of microscopy.”

After Leeuwenhoek came Robert Hooke who continued the development of the microscope. Hooke developed Anton’s design by adding a third lens behind the two original two. This made the usage of the microscope a lot more comfortable. In the previous version of the microscope as in ...

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