LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

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MarkG
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Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:16 pm

LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#1 Post by MarkG » Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:18 pm

Here are some links to Brian J Fords research on Leeuwenhoek and some on Robert Browne and the early microscopes. There are other Posts in this forum search on Leeuwenhoek
brianjford.com has lots of info just browse around to find interesting stuff. some may be controversial but keep and open mind and you will enjoy.

Ford Publications
http://www.brianjford.com/wavbiblio.htmv

Leeuwenhoek Microscopes: Mystery and Mischief this is a fun read
http://www.brianjford.com/CF23.pdf

Genuine or copy? Novel methods of authenticating new Leeuwenhoek microscopes
http://www.brianjford.com/a-avl-micanal-1601.pdf

The Incredible, Invisible World of Robert Hooke
http://www.brianjford.com/CF21.pdf

Breaking the Myths of Microscopy
http://www.brianjford.com/CF18.pdf

Leeuwenhoek's Specimins
http://www.brianjford.com/a-CF5-Leeuwenhoek.pdf
http://www.brianjford.com/wavintr.htm

Ford Book Chap 2 some info on Robert Browne Scope
http://www.brianjford.com/AIEP-Ford-final.pdf

Brain Ford Critical Focus Column
http://www.brianjford.com/w-CF-01.htm

charlie g
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#2 Post by charlie g » Sat Nov 11, 2017 11:00 pm

Thanks, Mark...Leeuwenhoek is an inspiration for me...for his huge activities in extending our minds grasp of our biosphere...like Aristotle way before him, our Anton kept meticulous records of his observations...I;m unclear of how he (anton) was able to with words..direct another person to actually generate illustrations which are indeed incredibly accurate?!! I think this is how Anton did 'his illustrations'...I hope I am correct?! If so..Anton utilized one of the first 'image capture devices'..the illustrator being the device between Antons microscope...and the image capture/illustration.

Anton reached out and shared his expanded understanding of our living world in written chronicles to Royal Society, Anton was a celebrity dinner-party guest to share these new world views with society well-heeled folk...including Russia's royalty...Anton kept perfecting his optical microscope even as he recorded new aspects of our world with the optics.

Current aspects of competitive scientific research, current intellectual property patents, resistance to 'open access research'...well these all for me quite justify Antons keeping aspects of his microscopy unshared and a secret. Bravo, Anton...thank you Mark for this trove of links on Anton you share with us. Charlie guevara

MarkG
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#3 Post by MarkG » Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:44 am

Thanks for the comments Charles

These pioneers were truly amazing geniuses. Accomplishing great discoveries with minimal technology available, which they created themselves. Patience, dedication and attention to detail and analyzing observations, I'm sure competition came in there somewhere also

Ford's discussion on Robert Hookes lens technique can found as he quotes from Micrograghia in the Preface. I located a copy at

https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000817897

and downloaded in the PDF format and found the quote on the PDF page 28 (note S's were printed as f's)

"And hence it is, that if you take a very clear piece of a broken Venice Glass, and in a Lamp draw it out into very small hairs or
threads then holding the ends of these threads in the flame, till they melt and run into a small round Globul, or drop, which will hang at the end of the thread and if further you stick several of these upon the end of a stick with a little sealing Wax, so as that the threads stand upwards, and then on a Whetstone first grind off a good part of them, and afterward on a smooth Metal plate, with a little Tripoly, rub them till they come to be very smooth.... " etc

charlie g
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#4 Post by charlie g » Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:53 am

As I understand it..cloth merchants (like anton), had crucial need to use a strong/highest quality hand lens available to them-hand lens to function in their trade.

Why, oh so often I pondered in forum posts...why did none of these handlens users look at their drinking waters, their kept animals drinking waters..their lice, their ticks, etc.,,,and not be lead to the microscopy world views which anton championed for all of us?!!

I clearly sense there must be a diary of some such merchant with access to a hand lens of the populations of water fleas/protozoa in their home waters at times...I sense anton was predated in someones diary! thanks for this thread, Mark, Charlie guevara

billbillt
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#5 Post by billbillt » Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:40 pm

charlie g wrote:As I understand it..cloth merchants (like anton), had crucial need to use a strong/highest quality hand lens available to them-hand lens to function in their trade.

Why, oh so often I pondered in forum posts...why did none of these handlens users look at their drinking waters, their kept animals drinking waters..their lice, their ticks, etc.,,,and not be lead to the microscopy world views which anton championed for all of us?!!

I clearly sense there must be a diary of some such merchant with access to a hand lens of the populations of water fleas/protozoa in their home waters at times...I sense anton was predated in someones diary! thanks for this thread, Mark, Charlie guevara
Here is another source of more material..

http://lensonleeuwenhoek.net/content/le ... icroscopes

BillT

charlie g
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#6 Post by charlie g » Sun Nov 12, 2017 6:12 pm

Thanks bill t, and OP for the great links. I want to pull the little hair out that I have, when I read the remark near the bottom of the page which opens in bill t's kind link : 'anton the worlds first microscopist'..not!!! Robert Hooke published "Micrographia" before anton made his microscopes. The freshwater algae: 'water nets/ Hydrodictyon ' was accurately described and published in ancient China. How does an Oxford history of science professor get so sloppy, so inaccurate in his choice of words?

Again, Anton is rightfully 'the father of microbiology/ protozoology' as many deem him..he simply was never 'the worlds first microscopist'.

Charlie guevara

MicroBob
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Location: Northern Germany

Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#7 Post by MicroBob » Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:00 pm

Unfortunately the work of Antonie von Leeuwenhoek was a dead end. In the decades after his death very little progress was made. I think that the reason for this was not only his secretiveness but also the ergonomics of his single lens instruments. You have to have great dexterity and patience to set up a Leuwenhoek-Microscope. Using it them is also quite uncomfortable. The lighting set-up depends on the room you are working in and requirese quite a bit of experience. But unfortunately the more comfortable multi-lens instruments of this time were not able to reach the same level of performance.
If you want to experiment with single lens instruments: http://www.mikrohamburg.de/Tips/Leeuwenhoek.pdf (in German)
I built these instruments with my fellow microscopy group members and Dr. Rosenfeldt an I created a step by step documentation on it.

charlie g
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Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#8 Post by charlie g » Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:59 pm

As a young child playing in the summer mists of garden sprinkelers which my buddies and I frolicked about on our home lawns...as a child caught in misty rains while outdoors...tiny droplets of water nested on my eyelashes(upper and lower eyelash combs...each comb of lashes at different positions holding water globules)..if by chance I squinted a certain way..eyelash hairs had the appearance and seeming girth of large forest tree trunks! It always fascinated me ( talk about navel gazing!)...I'd by trial squint my eyes certain ways..not have my eyes roam left/right...and be enchanted by these timbers! We have all been exposed to single lens high magnification microscopy with our our lush childhood eyelashes.

Anton was able to have dinner party guests directed to see some on the specimens his tiny setups were depicting. In words Anton described dark field illumination of human red blood cells as 'glass gems on a field of black velvet'...the more I think of it..perhaps Anton..used his microscope..handed it off to his illustrator ( am I correct in this? Anton did not himself actually draw the illustrations?)...and directed the illustrator to: 'see that green polyp which looks like a purposely moving tree?...etc....etc...'. Is this how the accurate illustrations were achieved for Antons chronicles to the Royal Society?

The expression: 'lets go Dutch' perhaps came about due the innovative variety of financial/contractual mechanisms the Dutch invoked for robust commerce. Anton had to think of loss of control of his instruments, and of his research..he was not 'secretive' as much as being keenly aware of how his discoveries and research future could so easily be usurped from him by those more educated..with much more resources and influence, than Anton had.

It is a side issue that a single lens high magnification device has a steep learning curve..it is a side issue that this device had a finite path of improvement...Anton sheparded in an expansion of our world views..and more! Charlie guevara

MarkG
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Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:16 pm

Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#9 Post by MarkG » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:23 pm

FYI

Back in August 2015 in this forum BillbillT posted this link to a Leeuwenhoek book.


https://archive.org/details/antonyvanleeuwen00dobe


Thanks Bill

charlie g
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Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:54 pm

Re: LeeuwenHoek Links To Brian J Ford research

#10 Post by charlie g » Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:08 am

Thanks for a terrific thread, Mark. I have a copy of B.J. Ford's "Single Lens", 1985. Dr.Fords : "Published Research-Interim Bibliography " at the end of his book, contains fascinating content to delve into with great pleasure . Like so many other dimensions of my microscopy..this area of Anton in his time...is a treat and inspiration for me. Charlie guevara

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