Chapter IV (1)

Practical Microscopy: Manipulation, and Mode of Using the Microscope.

In this chapter it will be my aim to discuss the best practical methods of employing the microscope and its appliances to the greatest advantage. First, the student should select a quiet room for working in, with, if possible, a northern aspect, free from all tremor occasioned by passing vehicles. The table selected for use should be firm, and provided with drawers, in which his several appliances can be kept ready to hand. The microscope must be placed at such an inclination as will enable him to work in comfort, and without putting strain on the muscles of the neck or fatiguing the eyes. The next important point is that of light. Daylight, in some respects, is an advantage; this should come from a white cloud on a bright day, but as a rule more satisfactory results will be obtained by using a well-made lamp, as this can be controlled with ease, and used at a proper height and distance from the microscope. To have a good form of lamp is as much to be desired for the student as for those engaged in the more advanced work of microscopy.

Whatever the source of light we must on no account over-illuminate. The object having been placed on the stage of the microscope, the body should be racked down to within a quarter or half an inch of the specimen, and then, while looking through the eye-piece, should be slowly withdrawn until a sharp image comes into view. The fine adjustment may now be used for the more delicate focussing of the several parts of the field.

Accurate adjustment of focus is required when using a 1/4-inch objective; details of the object, as striæ, being brought into view when a stronger light is thrown obliquely upon them from the mirror. If a 1-inch objective is used the light often proves to be in excess of what is required, and this must be regulated by the aid of the diaphragm.

The iris diaphragm, made to drop into the under-stage, is more generally employed, as when racked up to the object it affords every necessary graduation of illumination.

To illuminate opaque objects the light should be thrown upon them from above by the bull’s-eye lens (Fig. 201). The focus of such a lens and the lamp placed at four inches from it, is about three inches for daylight, or two inches for artificial light. A large object may be placed upon the stage of the microscope at once, but smaller objects are either laid on a glass slide or held in the stage forceps.

When illuminating objects from above all light from the mirror, or that which might enter the objective from below the stage, should be carefully excluded. _Dark-field illumination_ is a means of seeing a transparent object as an opaque one. The principle, however, is that all the light shall be thrown from below the object, but so obliquely that it cannot enter the object-glass unless interrupted by the object; this is best accomplished by _Wenham’s Parabola_.

_Glass_ of any kind requires occasional cleaning; a piece of soft washed chamois leather should be used for this purpose. The fronts of the objectives may be carefully wiped, but not _unscrewed_ or tampered with; a short thick-set camel’s hair brush may be passed down to the back lens, and all dust removed without doing any harm. If the objective is an _immersion_, carefully remove the fluid from the front lens, as even distilled water will leave a stain behind. For removing oil see special directions given at page 171.

When cleaning the _eye-pieces_, which should be done occasionally, the cells containing the glasses must be unscrewed and replaced one at a time, so that they may not be made to change places.

Any dirt upon the _eye-pieces_ may be detected by turning them round whilst looking through the instrument; but if the _object-glasses_ are not clean, or are injured, it will, for the most part, only be seen by the object appearing misty.

The _object-glasses_, when in use but not on the microscope, should be stood upon the table with the screw downwards, to prevent dust getting into the lenses, and they should always be put into their brass cases when done with. A large bell-glass shade will be found the most useful cover for keeping dust from the instrument when not in use.

When looking through the eye-piece be sure to place the eye in close proximation to the cap, otherwise the whole field will not be perfectly visible; it should appear as an equally well-illuminated circular disc. If the eyelashes are reflected from the eye-glass, the observer is looking upon the eye-piece, and not through it.

_The Mirror._--The working focal distance of the mirror is that which brings the images of the window-bars sharply out upon the object resting upon the stage. In other words, the focus of the mirror is that which brings parallel rays to a correct focus on the object-glass. If employing artificial light, then the flame of the lamp should be distinguishable; a slight change in the inclination of the mirror will throw the image of the lamp-flame out of the field.

The strongest light is reflected from the concave side of the mirror, that from the flat side is more diffuse and less intense. Oblique light can be obtained by turning the mirror on one side and then adjusting it so as to illuminate the field from that position. All the necessary mechanism of the microscope is easily and quickly learned. The object-glasses or objectives are, as previously explained, designated according to the focal distance of a single lens of the same magnifying power. Thus a 2-inch objective is understood to be a combination which has the magnifying power of a single lens whose focal point is two inches from the object, and so on with reference to other powers. By the aid of different eye-pieces an extensive range of magnifying power can be obtained; for example, the 2-inch objective with a deep eye-piece will give the same amplification as the quarter objective with the ordinary eye-piece. Indeed, for certain observations, the combination of a wide-angled low-power objective, with a deep eye-piece, or _compensating eye-piece_, is considered to have an advantage.

It has been already explained that two objectives, one of much greater power than the other, but both having only the same numerical aperture, will show only the same amount of _detail_; the higher power on a larger scale. That is, supposing with a 1/4-inch objective of 1·0 numerical aperture certain structure is resolved, then a 1/8-inch substituted with exactly the same numerical aperture, but with double the magnification, no more _resolving power_ will be found in the latter objective than in the former. For this reason a doubt has been expressed as to whether high-power objectives--especially the more expensive oil-immersions, made to transmit large pencils of light through their larger apertures--are so well adapted for ordinary research as the best series of dry achromatic objectives, or even, in some instances, the medium aperture lenses; undoubtedly, for histological (physiological and pathological) work, the latter will be found to meet the students’ requirements quite as well as the former.

The student or amateur will do well to commence with moderate or medium powers, a 2-inch, a 1-inch, a 1/2-inch, a 4/10-inch, or 1/4-inch. These, together with the A and B eye-pieces, will give a range of magnification from 30 to 250 diameters.

_Penetration_ in the objective is a quality for consideration, as the adjustment of high powers is a work of delicacy, and in some cases their penetration is impaired by the arrangement made to obtain finer definition. The value, however, of penetration in an objective is always considered to be of more or less importance. It is a quality whereby, under certain conditions, a more perfect insight into structure is obtained. As a rule, the objective having the largest working distance possesses the better penetration. Theoretically, the penetration of an objective decreases as the square of the angular aperture increases. For this reason the medical student will be justified in choosing the objectives I have named, since these will be better adapted to his work and pursuits. The penetration of the objective is a relative quality assessed at a different value by workers whose aims are widely different. But for the observation of living organisms, the cyclosis within the cell of the closterium or valisneria, for instance, preference will undoubtedly be in favour of the objective with good penetration.

_Resolving Power._--This is a quality highly prized by the bacteriologist. In the case of the high-angled apochromatic oil-immersion, with its compensating eye-piece, its resolution is found to be of very considerable advantage, because of its capacity to receive and recombine all the diffraction spectra that lie beyond the range of the older achromatic objective, with its smaller angular aperture. The actual loss of resolving power consequent upon the contraction of aperture from 180° to 128-1/2° is ten per cent., if not more. Resolution depends, then, upon the quality and quantity of the light admitted, the power of collecting the greatest number of rays, and the perfection of centring. In other words, upon the co-ordination of the illuminating system of the microscope--mirror, achromatic condenser, objective and eye-piece. If diatoms are employed as test-objects, it should not be forgotten that there are great differences, even in the same species, in the distances their lines are apart. For this reason ruled lines of known value, as Nobert’s lines, are to be preferred. The following example will suffice to show the value of a dry 1/8-inch objective of 120° in defining the rulings of a 19-band plate, which is equivalent to the 1/67000th of an inch. This objective, with careful illumination, showed them all; but when cut down by a diaphragm to 110°, the eighteenth line was not separable; further cut down to 100° the seventeenth was the limit, to 80° the fourteenth, and to 60° the tenth was barely reached.

_Flatness of Field._--This quality in the objective has, by the introduction of the immersion system, lost much of the importance formerly attached to it. Some writers assume it to be an “optical impossibility.” The compensating eye-piece has had the effect of contracting the visual field, consequently the peripheral imperfections of the objective are of a less disturbing character. It has, however, not been made perfectly clear whether the highest perfection of the two primary qualities of a good objective, _defining power and resolving power_, can be always obtained in one and the same combination of lenses.

Doubtless, _defining_ power can be more satisfactorily determined by the examination of a suitable object, and the perfection of the image obtained; to assist in securing which, a solid axial cone of light equal to about three-fourths of the aperture of the objective must be employed.

To sum up, then, “the focal power of all objectives depends in their perfect _definition_, a property on which their converging power depends, and in turn their magnifying action is dependent; again, focal power is the curvature imprinted by the lens on a plane wave, and is reciprocal of the true focal length. It is appropriately expressed in terms of the proper unit of focal curvature, the _dioptric_; a unit of curvature.”[39]

It may be taken as an axiom with microscopists that “neither the penetrating power nor the high-power defining objective is alone sufficient for every kind of work. The larger the details of ultimate structure, the narrower the aperture--and the converse; the minuter the dimensions of elementary structure, the wider must be the aperture of the objective.” Every worker with the microscope must have satisfied himself of the truth of this statement, when engaged in the study of the movements of living organisms, or defining the intimate structure of the minuter diatoms, or of the podura scale.

_Test for Illumination._--Dr. C. Seiler recommends the human blood corpuscle as the best test of good illumination. He prepares the object in the following manner: Take for the purpose a clean glass slide of the ordinary kind, and place near its extreme edge a drop of fresh blood drawn by pricking the finger with a needle. Then take another slide of the same size, with ground edges, and bring one end in contact with the drop of blood, as shown in Fig. 202, at an angle of 45°; then draw it evenly and quickly across the underslide, and the result will be to spread out the corpuscles evenly throughout. Blood discs being lenticular bodies, with depressed centres, act like so many little glass-lenses, and show diffraction rings if the light is not properly adjusted.[40]

_Errors of Interpretation._--To be in a position to draw an accurate conclusion of the nature and properties of the object under examination is a matter of great importance to the microscopist. The viewing of objects by transmitted light is of quite an exceptional character, rather calculated to mislead the judgment as well as the eye. It requires, therefore, an unusual amount of care to avoid falling into errors of interpretation. Among test objects the precise nature of the structural elements of the Diatomaceæ have given rise to great divergence of opinion. Then, again, the minute scales of the podura Springtails, one of the Collembola, and their congeners _Lepisma saccharina_, the structure of which is equally debatable. Mr. R. Beck, in an instructive paper published in the “Transactions of the Royal Microscopical Society,” says that the scales of the Lepisma can be made to put on an appearance which bears little resemblance to their actual structure.

In the more abundant kind of scales the prominent markings appear as a series of double lines. These run parallel and at considerable intervals from end to end of the scale, whilst other lines, generally much fainter, radiate from the quill, and take the same direction as the outline of the scale when near the fixed or quill end; but there is, in addition, an interrupted appearance at the sides of the scale, which is very different from the mere union, or “cross-hatchings,” of the two sets of lines (Fig. 203, Nos. 1 and 2, the upper portions).

The scales themselves are formed of some truly transparent substance, for water instantly and almost entirely obliterates their markings, but they reappear unaltered as the moisture leaves them; therefore the fact of their being visible at all, under any circumstances, is due to the refraction of light by superficial irregularities, and the following experiment establishes this fact, whilst it determines at the same time the structure of each side of the scale, which it is otherwise impossible to do from the appearance of the markings in their unaltered state:--

“Remove some of the scales by pressing a clean and dry slide against the body of the insect, and cover them with a piece of thin glass, which may be prevented from moving by a little gum at each corner. No. 3 may then be taken as an exaggerated section of the various parts. A B is the glass slide, with a scale, C, closely adherent to it, and D the thin glass-cover. If a very small drop of water be placed at the edge of the thin glass, it will run under by capillary attraction; but when it reaches the scale, C, it will run first between it and the glass slide, A B, because the attraction there will be greater, and consequently the markings on that side of the scale which is in contact with the slide will be obliterated, while those on the other side will, for some time at least, remain unaltered: when such is the case, the strongly marked vertical lines disappear, and the radiating ones become continuous. (_See_ No. 1, the lower left-hand portion.) To try the same experiment with the other, or inner surface of the scales, it is only requisite to transfer them, by pressing the first piece of glass, by which they were taken from the insect, upon another piece, and then the same process as before may be repeated with the scales that have adhered to the second slide, the radiating lines will now disappear, and the vertical ones become continuous. (_See_ No. 2, left portion.) These results, therefore, show that the interrupted appearance is produced by two sets of uninterrupted lines on different surfaces, the lines in each instance being caused by corrugations or folds on the external surfaces of the scales. Nos. 1 and 2 are parts of a camera lucida drawing of a scale which happened to have opposite surfaces obliterated in different parts. No. 4 shows parts of a small scale in a dry and natural state; at the upper part the interrupted appearance is not much unlike that seen at the sides of the larger scales; but lower down, where lines of equal strength cross nearly at right angles, the lines are entirely lost in a series of dots, and exactly the same appearance is shown in No. 5 to be produced by the two scales at a part where they overlie each other, although each one separately shows only parallel vertical lines.”

Fig. 204.--Outer Membrane of Upper Plane of Red Beads thrown by each alternate hole of grating; on lowering the focus white interspaces turn into blue beads.]

Fig. 204_a_.--Outer Membrane of Lower Plane of Beads thrown from remaining holes of grating; on raising the focus white interspaces turn into red beads.

Objective used, Zeiss’s apochromatic 1/12-inch oil-immersion, numerical aperture 1·40, magnifying power 1,750 diameters.]

A well-known skilled observer of test objects[41] says: “Practically the resolving power of our achromatic objectives on lined objects reached their maximum in the late Dr. Woodward’s hands. _Amphipleura pellucida_ was then, as now, the finest known regular structure of the diatoms. There appeared then nothing more to be gained in resolution when one of the apochromatic 1/12-inch objectives of Zeiss, with its entire absence of colour, passed into my hands, and I soon became convinced that it possessed the power of separating the different layers of structure in the valve, beyond the grasp of the dry-objective. The result of this increase of power enabled me to split up, as it were, the one plate of silex forming the valve of _Pleurosigma formosum_ into three layers, and which had never before appeared to be possible; proving, in fact, that magnification without corresponding aperture is of little or no account.”

“The intimate structure of these test objects,” says Mr. Smith, “is built up on one plan, each being composed of two or more layers, (1) a valve with two layers, as in _Pleurosigma balticum_; (2) two layers with a grating and secondary markings placed diagonally, as in _Pleurosigma formosum_; (3) with two layers of a net-like structure, as in _Pleurosigma angulatum_, the fineness of the striæ or gratings of which measure the 1/50000th of an inch. Five other diatoms afford evidence of this compound structure. The presence of beads or hemispheres in one of the focal planes, and depressions or pits in another, are emphasised in the micro-photograph itself; reduced portions of the valve are represented in Figs. 204 and 204_a_.”

A portion of a diatom valve, _Pleurosigma angulatum_, micro-photographed on a higher scale of magnification, 4,500 diameters, is given further on.

_Errors of interpretation_ arise either from the small cones of illumination afforded by the dry-objective, or the oblique illumination formerly resorted to for the resolution of these difficult test objects, and several of the lights and shadows resulting from the refractive power of the object itself. But the most common error is that produced by the reversal of the lights and shadows resulting from the refractive powers of the object itself. To make this clear, I reproduce two reduced photographs of a small section of an old-fashioned glass tumbler, covered externally with numerous hemispheres, illuminated by transmitted light (Fig. 205).

This illustration well emphasises the difficulty there is in determining structure under precisely similar conditions to those we are accustomed to of examining valves of diatoms under the microscope. If these photographs be held in front of a strong light, they at once convey different impressions to the mind, the hemispheres appearing depressions in the one, and raised beads in the other. Both are prints from the same negative, but in mounting are reversed; and therefore the apparent dissimilarity is due to a slight inequality of illumination, which the mind accepts as light and shade.

Very similar appearances to those described will result if a thin plate of glass were studded with minute, equal, and equi-distant plano-convex lenses, the foci of which would very nearly lie in the same plane. If the focal surface, or plane of vision, of the objective be made to coincide with this plane, a series of bright points will result, from the excess of light falling on each lens. If the plane of vision be next made to coincide with the surfaces of the lenses, these points would appear dark, in consequence of the rays being refracted towards points _now_ out of focus. Lastly, if the plane of vision be made to coincide with the plane _beneath_ the lenses that contain their several foci, so that each lens may be, as it were, combined with the object-glass, then a second series of bright points will result from the accumulation of the rays transmitted at those points. Moreover, as all rays capable of entering the objective are concerned in the formation of the second series of bright focal points, the first series being formed by the rays of a cone of light only, it is evident that the circle of least confusion must be much less, and therefore the bright points better defined in the first than in the last series.

There are no set of objects which have given rise to more discussion as to their precise character than the scales of the podura (_Lepidocyrtus cervicollis_), to the intimate structure of which Mr. Smith turned his attention, and succeeded, I am inclined to think, in his attempt to settle the structure of these very minute scales, and which heretofore have been described as “notes of exclamation.” By the aid of the same power as that employed in the examination of the _pleurosigma formosum_, the old conventional markings have disappeared, and well-defined “_featherlets_” have taken their place. By careful focussing up and down, a series of whitish pin-like bodies is to be seen, with an intervening secondary structure. A micro-photograph of a portion of a scale taken by Mr. Smith shows that these pin-like bodies are inserted in a fold of the basement membrane, which, in his opinion, furnish unmistakable evidence of the fact that these projecting bodies are real, and must no longer be looked upon as mere _ghosts_. Quite recently, a micro-photograph of a portion of a podura scale was placed in my hands, taken by Mr. J. W. Gifford with a Swift’s 1/12-inch apochromatic objective, of numerical aperture 1·40, and a deep eye-piece, having a combined magnifying power of 3,827 diameters. Fig. 206 shows a portion of the photograph which, it will be admitted, supports Mr. Smith’s view of the structure of the podura scale.

Many other errors of interpretation are not unknown to the experienced operator with the microscope, arising, for the most part, from an influence exerted by peculiarities in the internal structure of certain objects; for example, that offered by the human hair, and which, when viewed by transmitted light, presents the appearance of a flattened-out band, with a darkish centre, due to the refractive influence of the rays of light transmitted through the hair. That it is a solid or tubular structure is proved by making a transverse section of the hair-shaft, when it is seen filled up by medullary matter, the centre being somewhat darker than the outer part. It is, in fact, a spiral outgrowth of the epithelial scales, overlapping each other, imparting a striated appearance to the surface. A cylindrical thread of glass in balsam appears as a flattened, band-like streak, of little brilliancy. Another instance of fallacy arising from diversity in the refractive power of the internal parts of an object is furnished by the mistakes formerly made with regard to the true character of the _lacunæ_ and _canaliculi_ of bone structure. These were long supposed to be solid corpuscles, with radiating opaque filaments proceeding from a dense centre; on the contrary, they are minute chambers, with diverging passages--excavations in the solid osseous structure. That such is the case is shown by the effects of Canada balsam, which infiltrates the osseous substance.

Air bubbles are a perplexing source of trouble. The better way of becoming accustomed to deceptive appearances of the kind is to compare the aspect of globules of oil in water with bubbles of air in water, or Canada balsam.

The molecular movements of finely divided particles, seen in nearly all cases when certain objects are first suspended in water, or other fluids, are a frequent cause of embarrassment to beginners. If a minute portion of indigo or carmine be rubbed up with a little water, and a drop placed on a glass slide under the microscope, it will at once exhibit a peculiar _perpetual motion_ appearance. This movement was first observed in the granular particles seen among pollen grains of plants, known as _fovilla_, and which are set free when the pollen is crushed. Important vital endowments were formerly attributed to these particles, but Dr. Robert Brown showed that such granules were common enough both in organic and inorganic substances, and were in no way “indicative of life.”[42]

Professor Jevons succeeded in throwing light on these curious movements. He showed that they were not due to evaporation, as some observers contended, as they continue when all possibility of evaporation is cut off, when the fluid is surrounded by a layer of oil, and enclosed in an air-tight case: but as Professor Jevons pointed out, these movements are greatly affected by the admixture of various substances with water, being increased by a small quantity of gum, and checked by a drop of sulphuric acid, or a few grains of some saline substance, which increases the conducting power of water for electricity. The Brownian movement, now termed _pedesis_, much depends upon the size of the particles, their specific gravity, and the nature of the liquid in which they are immersed.

The correct conclusions to be drawn by the microscopist regarding the nature of an object will necessarily depend upon previous experience in microscopic observations, a knowledge of the class of bodies brought under observation, and the skill of the observer in the use of the instrument--that is, in securing the best focus possible with any objective brought into use. I am indebted to Messrs. Beck for the following series of illustrations, showing the effect of under and over correction of the objective.

DIRECTIONS FOR FINDING THE BEST FOCUS.

The method of finding and determining when the screw-collar adjustment of the high-power objective has arrived at a point of perfect definition and magnification is as follows:--

Select any dark speck of dust, or an opaque portion of the object, and carefully focus this small particle by working the screw of the fine adjustment, move the screw up and down until you are satisfied the image is the sharpest and blackest that can be obtained, then once more test the focus a little above and a little below while closely scrutinising the effect on the image. It will now be seen that whereas in focussing on one side of the best focus the object disappears in a fog, by focussing on the other side it remains in view for a longer period, but alters its appearance; it is now no longer a black dot, but a bright dot of light surrounded by a black margin. The effects being thus dissimilar on different sides of the best focus, show that the objective is not perfectly adjusted for the cover-glass in use.

The next step is to find out whether the bright image is above or below the best focus, as on this depends the direction in which the adjustment-collar should be turned. To determine this it is only necessary to ascertain which way the slow-motion milled head of the microscope turns when moving the objective upwards.

In the case under consideration, the bright image will be _above_ the best focus, which shows that the cover-glass in use is _thicker_ than that for which the objective is adjusted, consequently the adjustment-collar must be moved in the opposite direction.

If the collar be turned too far in the opposite direction, it will be found that the bright image is _below_ the best focus, and the cover-glass is then _thinner_ than that for which the objective is adjusted. The collar must then be turned back again _until the effect on each side of the best focus is exactly similar_. This effect in the case of a circular speck of dust will be that the object disappears equally rapidly on either side, and does not instantly vanish into fog, on either side presenting the bright spot appearance, though not in so marked a degree on either side. When the object is in perfect adjustment the expansion of the outline is exactly the same, both within and without the focus.

A different indication, however, is afforded by such test-objects as the finer diatoms, and the podura scale, in which we have to do with a set of distinct dots and other markings. If the dots have a tendency to run into lines when the object is _without_ the focus, the glasses should be brought closer together; on the contrary, if the lines appear when the object is _within_ the focal point, the glasses should be farther separated.

The adjustment of the objective by the screw-collar in the case of the podura scale should be carried out in the way described, when the following effects will be observed to take place, usually in the order of their arrangement.

Fig. 1 shows the appearance of a podura scale when the adjustment of the object-glass is correct, and Fig. 2 shows the effect produced on each side of the exact focus. Fig. 3 shows the way in which the markings individually divide when all the adjustments are correct, and when the focus is altered the least possible amount only each way.

Figs. 4 and 5 show the two appearances on one and the other side of the best focus when the adjustment is incorrect, Fig. 6 showing the appearance of the same at its best focus.

_The scales_ are magnified 1,300 diameters, and each square measures ·001 of an inch.

This method, however, of finding the best focus of an objective can scarcely be accomplished without a sub-stage condenser. It may therefore be of service to the student, and to those who are not disposed to purchase expensive forms of condensers, to know that either an inch or an inch and a half objective, or convex-lens mounted on a simple wooden ring with a flange, can be arranged to slip in the place of the diaphragm under the stage. This kind of condenser will prove to be of considerable value with a 1/2-inch, a 4/10-inch, and a 1/4-inch; while a still more excellent achromatic condenser can be made out of a Steinheil’s _aplanatic-loup_ arranged to drop into the central fitting of the sub-stage. As without a condenser of some kind it is hardly possible to enter upon any course of histological or scientific research.[43]

Working Accessories.

TROUGHS--LIVE-CAGES--COMPRESSORS.

_A glass plate_ with a ledge, and some pieces of _thin glass_, although applicable for many purposes, are specially designed for objects in fluid. Thus a drop of fluid containing the object sought for is placed upon the slide and covered by a piece of thin glass; or, the object being put upon the glass slide and the thin glass over it, the fluid is applied near one side, and runs under by capillary attraction.

_Troughs and Live-box._--These are made of various materials, glass, vulcanite, brass, &c., expressly for examining infusoria and live animals. They should be so constructed as to admit of the use of a medium power, a 1/2-inch at least, under the microscope. They should also admit of being easily cleaned and repaired when broken; matters rarely thought of by those who construct them. An early devised _live-box_ (Varley’s, Fig. 208) consists of two circular pieces of brass tubing, one sliding over the other carrying a disc of glass and fitting over another glass with bevelled edges to prevent the fluid flowing away.

_The Compressorium_ is used for similar purposes. By a graduated pressure the fluid is _thinned out_ and a higher power can be employed for the examination of the object. Ross’s early compressorium consists of a plate of brass about three inches long, having in its centre a circle of glass like the bottom of the live-box. This piece of glass is set in a frame, _B_, which slides in and out so that it can be removed for the convenience of preparing any object upon it--under water if desirable. The upper movable part, _D_, is attached to a screw-motion at _C_; and at one end of the brass plate, _A_, which forms the bed of the instrument, is an upright piece of brass grooved so as to receive a vertical plate, to which a downward motion is given by a single fine screw, surrounded by a spiral spring, which elevates the plate as soon as the screw-pressure is removed.

_Beck’s Parallel-plate Compressor_ (Fig. 210) affords a more exact means of regulating the pressure, and can be used for a variety of purposes. It is also easily cleaned.

_Rousselet’s Compressorium_ (Fig. 211) is a very effective form for general use. It is so arranged that the student has perfect control over the pressure to which the specimen should be subjected. The cover-glass is large in comparison with that beneath; being bevelled causes evaporation to go on very slowly while the pressure between the two glass surfaces is kept perfectly parallel.

_Botterill’s Live-trough_ (Fig. 212) consists of two brass plates screwed together by binding screws, and holding between them two plates of thin glass, which are maintained at a proper distance by inserting a semicircular flat disc of india-rubber.

Glass troughs for chara and polypes (a sectional view of one shown at Fig. 213) are made of three pieces of glass, the bottom being a thick strip, and the front (_a_) of thinner glass than the back (_b_); the whole is cemented together with Jeffery’s marine-glue. The method adopted for confining objects near the front glass varies according to circumstances. The most convenient is to place in the trough a piece of glass wide enough to stand across diagonally, as at _c_; then, if the object be heavier than water, it will sink until stopped by the glass plate. At other times, when used to view chara, the diagonal plate may be made to press it close to the front by means of a wedge of glass or cork. When using the trough the microscope should be placed in a nearly horizontal position.

Cells for viewing living objects, and watching their movements, take many forms, usually determined by the makers for the purposes they are required to serve. The smaller glass troughs (Figs. 216, 216_a_) are made for examining the small infusoria, rotifers, &c., some of which take special forms, as the double or divided trough (Fig. 217) intended for viewing the circulation of the blood in the tail of a small fish, and at the same time keep up a supply of water and air.

The Frog-plate consists of a strip of plate-glass, or wood, pierced with holes on either side, through which tapes are passed to secure the frog in its place. At the extreme end is a shallow glass trough, made to hold a sufficient quantity of water to keep the web of the foot moist while under examination. In this way a continuous view of the circulation of the blood of the animal is obtained.

_Growing Cells_ have received more attention from those who devote attention to the lower forms of life, the construction of which, for the purpose of maintaining a continuous supply of fresh water to objects under observation, and for sustaining their vital energy for a long period, is of some importance. The employment of live-cells is resorted to by microscopists, as doubtless there is much to be discovered concerning the metamorphoses which some of the lower micro-organisms, both of plant and animal life, pass through.

Holman’s life slide consists of a 3 × 1 inch glass slide, with a deep oval cavity in the middle to receive the specimen for observation. A shallow oval is ground and polished around the deep cavity, forming a bevel. From this bevel a fine cut extends, to furnish fresh air to the living low forms of life which invariably seek the bevelled edge of the cavity, thus bringing them within reach of the highest powers. He also contrived a convenient form of “moist chamber,” or animalcule-cage (Fig. 220), for the purpose of studying the growth of minute organisms, without in any way disturbing them for a lengthened period. This is also found useful as a dry chamber for holding minute insects.

_Zentmayer’s Holman Syphon Slide_ is used either as a hot or cold water cell. It should be deep enough to hold a small fish or newt, and retain it without any undue pressure. When in use it is only necessary to place the animal into it (as shown in Fig. 221), with some water, and secure it with a glass cover; then immerse the upper tube in a jar of water, while another, at a lower level, maintains a current. When the slide is on the stage of the microscope, one jar should stand on a lower level than the other, the slide being made the highest part of the syphon. The pressure of the atmosphere is sufficient to keep the cover-glass in its place.

The examination of the various kinds of infusorial life--rotifers, for instance--is facilitated by the addition of the smallest particle of colouring matter, either carmine or indigo. A small quantity of either of these colours should be rubbed up in a little water in a watch-glass, and a portion taken up on the point of a brush, and the brush run along the edge of the cover-glass; sufficient will be left behind to barely tinge the water with the colour, and this gradually distributes itself over the rotifers. Under the microscope this minute quantity will be seen like a rising cloud of dust, and as it approaches a rotifer it is whirled round in different curves, showing at once the action of its wonderfully rapid cilia. This colouring matter appears to be devoured, as it may be traced from the mouth to the digestive canal. Monads may be detected by this means, and the smaller forms of _algæ_, _Euglena viridis_ and _Protococcus pluvialis_.

_Dipping-tubes._--In dealing with infusorial or monad life it is convenient to keep a stock-bottle ready for their reception, and in a light favourable to health. When a live specimen is required for examination, the dipping-tube is brought into requisition. These tubes are open at both ends, and vary in length and diameter. Their ends should be nicely rounded off in the flame of a blow-pipe; in form either straight, or bent and drawn out to a fine point, as represented in Fig. 222. When any special specimen is required for examination, then one of the tubes must be passed down into the water, the upper orifice having been previously closed by the forefinger, and kept tightly pressed, until its lower orifice comes in contact with the object. On the finger being removed, the water rushes up and carries the creature sought for with it. The finger is once more replaced at the top of the tube; it is then lifted out, and the contents deposited in one or other of the glass cells described. Tubes with india-rubber covers can be had.

_Moist and Warm Stages._--In addition to the moist cells and chambers described it is often found necessary in working out the histories of minute organisms to keep them for some time under observation, and as far as possible in an undisturbed condition, and it is equally necessary to prevent evaporation of the water in which they are immersed. One of the best warm stages is that known as Maddox’s growing stage; this can be had of any optician. More elaborate adaptions are required for the study of special organisms, and for experimental research.

In that case _Bartley’s Warm Stage_ (Fig. 224) is recommended. There are other forms of warm stages in use, many of an inexpensive kind and readily adaptable to any stage. Bartley’s has proved useful; it consists of a vessel, _E_, three parts filled with water and supported on a ring stand. This may be kept at any temperature by the small spirit-lamp, _C_; a syphon tube _d_ conveys the warm water along _f_, and through the bent tubing which surrounds the object under observation on the stage, _D_, and then passes off through the open end, _C_, into the receptacle, _B_, placed to receive the overflow. Steam can be used for heating, or iced water for observing the effects of cold upon the organism.

A simple form of warm stage may be made of an oblong copper plate, two inches long by one wide, from one side of which a rod of the same material projects. The plate has a round aperture, the centre half an inch in diameter, and is fastened to an ordinary slide with sealing-wax. The drop or object to be examined is placed on a large-sized cover-glass and covered over with a smaller one. Olive oil or vaseline is painted round the edge of the smaller one to prevent evaporation, and the preparation is placed over the aperture in the plate. The slide bearing the copper plate is clamped to the stage of the microscope. The flame of the spirit-lamp is applied to the extremity of the rod, and the heat is conducted to the plate and thence transmitted to the specimen. In order that the temperature of the copper plate may be approximately that of the body, the lamp is so adjusted that a fragment of cacao butter and wax placed close to the preparation is melted.

Professors Stricker and Schäfer have constructed warm stages for accurate observations, and which fully answer every purpose.

_Stricker’s Stage_ (Fig. 225) consists of a rectangular box with a central opening, _C_, permitting the passage of light through the specimen under examination. The water makes its exit and entrance at the side tubes _B B′_, and the temperature is indicated by a thermometer in front. In this apparatus either warm or cold water can be continuously used.

_Schäfer’s apparatus_ (Fig. 226) consists of a vessel filled with water (seen near the stage) which has been first boiled to expel the air, and then heated by means of a gas flame. The warm water ascends the india-rubber tubing to the brass box on the stage. The box is pierced by a tubular aperture to admit light to the object, and has an exit tube by which the cooled water from the stage returns by another piece of tubing to be reheated by the gas flame. There is a gas-regulator, by means of which any temperature can be maintained.

Methods of Preparing, Hardening, Staining and Section Cutting.

Numerous methods are employed for the preparation, hardening, staining, and section cutting of animal and vegetable tissues for the microscope, the details of which are modified, or varied as may be found needful, from time to time, by those whose intimate acquaintance with the subject entitles them to make innovations and changes in this very important department of microscopy. In the hands of the original worker, formulæ and methods will only be regarded as finger-posts pointing out a means of saving time in turning over pages to find this or that special method of staining. For this particular reason I have collected all the most accredited formulæ together in an Appendix at the end of the book, and arranged them alphabetically for ready reference.

As to section cutting, the student will do well to practise himself in making dissections, thick and thin sections, of vegetable and animal substances. The medical student will require no advice on this point, as the use of the scalpel, and those instruments needed for microscopical work, form an important part of his education. Of all the instruments contrived for delicate dissections, none are more serviceable than those which the student may make for himself out of ordinary needles. These may be fixed in handles as represented in Fig. 229, in addition to which, a pair of scissors and forceps, and a few small knives, such as those used in eye-operations, will prove most suitable. The double-bladed scissors represented in Fig. 227, with curved blades, are brought into use for cutting vegetable and other soft structures, the disadvantage attendant upon the use of which is owing to the curvature of the blades; when dealing with flat surfaces, the middle of the section is left too thick to exhibit structure.

The double-bladed knife of Professor Valentin was formerly held in high estimation by the microscopist, but this has been almost superseded by the microtome, which has taken the place of all other instruments, since by its aid uniform series of nearly all substances can be cut. The standard unit of a perfect section cutter, of any kind, has been fixed by the Royal Microscopical Society at the one-thousandth of a millimetre.

The use of the razor for cutting sections has not been wholly abandoned, the method of using which is as follows:--Take the tissue between the thumb and finger of the left hand, hold the finger horizontally, so that its upper surface may form a rest for the razor to glide upon, take the razor firmly, and keep the handle in a line with the blade, then draw it through the tissue from heel to point and towards yourself. While cutting keep the razor well wetted with diluted methylated spirit.

Some preparation is required for cutting sections with the single microtome. The substance to be cut must be embedded in some other material, as carrot, turnip, potato, alder pith, paraffin, or thick gum, with either of which the cylinder or well of the microtome must be so nearly filled as to leave only an excavation in the centre for the specimen to be operated upon to occupy. The various forms of microtomes in use, and the selection of the most suitable, is therefore a matter of some difficulty. I must content myself by particularising two or three typical forms in general use. As all the substances intended for cutting require preparation, it will be first necessary to attend to the following directions given by one experienced in section cutting, Mr. M. J. Cole[44]:--(1) Always use fresh tissues. (2) Cut the organs into small pieces with a sharp knife. (3) Never wash a specimen in water; when it is necessary to remove any matter, allow some weak salt solution to flow over the surface of the tissue, or wash it in some hardening re-agent. (4) All specimens should be hardened in a large quantity of the re-agent; too many pieces should not be put into the same bottle, and keep them in a cool place. (5) In all cases the hardening process must be completed in spirits. (6) Label the bottles, stating the contents, the hardening fluid used, and when changed. Attention to details is necessary, as if hardening is neglected, good sections cannot be made.

_Embedding in Paraffin Wax or Lard._--Melt together, by the aid of gentle heat, four parts of solid paraffin and one part of lard. A quantity of this may be made and kept ready for use. Melt the paraffin mass over a water bath, take the specimen, and dry it between the folds of a cloth to remove the spirit, so that the paraffin may adhere to its surface, place it in a small chip-box, in the desired position, and pour in enough melted paraffin to cover it, then set aside to solidify; when quite cold break away the box, and cut sections from the embedded mass with a sharp razor.

To infiltrate a tissue with paraffin, place the specimen in absolute alcohol or chloroform for an hour or two, then transfer to a bath of melted paraffin, at its melting point (about 110° F.), and keep it at this temperature for several hours, so that the paraffin may penetrate to the middle of the tissue. Then remove the specimen from the paraffin and put it into a small chip-box, pour in enough paraffin to cover it, and set aside to cool. When quite cold, make sections as before, with a razor, or fix it into a microtome, with a little melted paraffin. The sections when cut must be placed in turpentine to remove the paraffin, and then into absolute alcohol to remove the turpentine, and finally in distilled water to remove the alcohol, when they may be forthwith stained. It is often found better to stain the tissue in bulk before embedding. In this case the sections will only require the turpentine to dissolve away the paraffin, and may then be mounted in Canada balsam.

_Hardening and Preparing Animal Tissues_ for section cutting and microscopical examination.--Fresh tissues are not well suited for microscopical examination, but it is sometimes advisable to observe the appearances of a fresh specimen, especially if it is suspected to contain amaloid bodies or parasites. It will then be necessary to _tease_ out a small portion of the tissue immersed in a weak solution of salt and water by the aid of a pair of fine needles (Fig. 229) and the dissecting microscope (Fig. 230).

The most important point in connection with an instrument of this kind is, that it affords firm and convenient rests for the hands, and should not be raised too high from the table.

The stage should either be made of glass, or provided with a glass dish for dissecting under water, or preservative fluid. A pair of aplanatic lenses, mounted on a focussing bar as shown in Fig. 230, will be found the most convenient to work with.

Investigations of this nature should be always carried out in the manner described, but preparations of the kind cannot be preserved any length of time, unless properly hardened in spirit or Formalin solution. The method of teasing out under the light of a condensing lens is shown in Fig. 231.

It may be as well to state at the outset that physiological and pathological tissues can be hardened by immersion in methylated spirit alone, or a saturated solution of picric acid in methylated spirit in about a week, and it is said to yield satisfactory results, even some of the tissues being ready in twenty-four hours. The only drawback is that sections thus quickly hardened must be stained with picro-carmine. But, whatever method of hardening adopted, the tissue should be washed by means of a stream of water for half an hour, to remove all traces of the hardening agent, and on its removal pressed between folds of cotton cloth or fine Swedish filtering paper.

The principal hardening re-agents usually kept in bulk ready for use are the following:--

_Absolute Alcohol._--This is suitable for the internal organs of animals, glands, &c. These organs must be perfectly fresh, and should be cut into small pieces, so that the alcohol may penetrate them as quickly as possible. The hardening is usually complete in a short time.[45]

_Chromic Acid and Spirit._--Chromic acid one-sixth per cent., water solution two parts, and methylated spirit one part. This reagent hardens in about ten days. Then transfer to methylated spirit, which should be changed every day until all colour is discharged from the tissue. This is a suitable reagent for the preparation of cartilage, nerve trunks, heart, lips, blood vessels, trachea, lungs, tongue, intestines, and gullet.

_Potassium Bichromate._---Make a two per cent. water solution of this salt. This will harden specimens in about three weeks. Then transfer the preparation to methylated spirit, and change it every day until all colour is discharged. This is suitable for spinal cord, medulla, cerebellum, and cerebrum.

_Müller’s Fluid._--Bichromate of potash 30 grains, sulphate of soda 15 grains, distilled water 3-1/2 ounces. This hardens in from three to six weeks. Then transfer, as before, to methylated spirits, and change it every day until colour ceases to appear. Most suitable for lymphatic glands, eye-ball and its internal structures, as well as for tendons, and thymus gland.

_Methylated Spirit_ may be generally employed, but it has a tendency to shrink some tissues too much; it hardens in about ten days. It is usual to change the spirit daily, for the first three days at least. Skin, mammary gland, supra-renal glands, tonsils, and all injected organs may be hardened in it. (See note on the adulteration of methylated spirit with rack-oil, which utterly spoils it for use.)