1. A Bit of History of the Microscope
Clipart from Microsoft Office Online
Certain materials are included under the fair use exemption of the U.S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the multimedia fair use guidelines and are restricted from further use.

2. The microscope got it’s name because it allows us to view minute
things.
Micro means very small.
Scope (suffix) means
viewing or observing. .

3. History of the microscope
Spectacles were known in Italy in
1200

4. The early simple “microscopes” which were really
only magnifying glasses had one power, usually
about 6X - 10X . One thing that was very common
and interesting to look at was fleas and other tiny
insects. These early magnifiers were hence called
“flea glasses”.

5. Around 1590, two Dutch spectacle makers, Zaccharias
Janssen and his father Hans started experimenting with
these lenses. They put several lenses in a tube and
discovered objects were greatly enlarge. This was the
first compound microscope.

6. Anthony Leeuwenhoek of Holland (early 1700’s) became
very interested in lenses while working with magnifying glasses
in a dry goods store. He used to count the threads in cloth.
He taught himself new methods for grinding and polishing
tiny lenses which gave him greater magnifications.
has since been called the "Father of Microscopy"

7. Robert Hooke’s Microscope
Hooke’s microscope
Hooke wanted to know what something living looked like when it was strongly magnified. Since he knew that he would need to cut a really thin layer to view through his microscope, he chose to view a piece of easily-sliced cork tree…

8. This is a photograph of a cork tree (from which we cut cork).
Cork oak (Quercus suber) with sections of cork removed Eric G. Carle—Shostal/EB Inc.

9. When Hooke viewed the thin layer of cork through his micro-scope,
When Hooke viewed the thin layer of cork through his micro-scope,
this is what he saw:

10. The small structures that “make up” cork reminded Hooke of the prison cells of his century…
What Hooke saw through his scope…
Modern Prison Cells

11. …so he named the small structures
“cells.”
Cork Cells
(Cells from a Cork Tree)
Modern Prison Cells

12. Proposed cell theory: Schleiden and Schwann
1. All living things are composed of cells
2. Cells are the basic unit of structure and
function in living things
3. All cells are produced by other cells

14. Microscopes are compound, meaning
they have two or more lenses used
to magnify objects.
These lenses bend
the light.

15. 1931- An electron microscope depends
on electrons rather than
light to view an object.
Electron microscopes make it possible
to view objects slightly larger than
an atom.

16. In effect, it can magnify objects up to 1 million times. Nevertheless,
all electron microscopes suffer from a serious drawback.
Since no living specimen can survive under their high vacuum,
they cannot show the ever-changing movements that characterize a
living cell.

17. Mosquito head
Magnification: X 1,000
Magnification: X 200

18. Black Widow Spider Claw

19. Moth wing

20. Cucumber Skin

21. Staple through paper

22. Toilet paper

23. Hypodermic Needle

24. Foot of a House Fly

25. Deer Tick

29. Microscope Rules 1. Always use two hands to carry a microscope!
One hand goes under the base
and one on the arm.

30. 2. Do not touch the lenses.
If they are dirty, ask your
teacher for
special lens paper or ask the teacher
to clean the lenses for you.

31. 3.Be cautious when handling
glass slides.
Notify teacher if a slide
breaks.
Students should not
handle broken glass.

32. Microscopes are not toys!!
They are expensive tools!!