The Golden Age of Microscopy
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 7:16 pm
The 1800's was a period where science, medicine and the microscope were dependant on each other. Titans like Pastuer, Koch, etc, were making amazing breakthroughs in diseases that were ravaging populations. The microscope stood out as the premier instrument to separate fact from fiction. In the late 1800's, we had instruments from Germany, Great Britain, and the USA that were worthy of great praise for their magnification and resolving power. Being state of the art instruments of amazing optical precision they were considered the height of technology at the time but as a consequence commanded extremely high prices. Scientists had the tools at there disposal to observe and discover. The microscope was an expensive instrument, so expensive as to be available to few educational institutions and way out of reach for the average person.
In the early 1900's, microscopes continued to evolve in magnification range, resolution, contrast, etc.
Even in the late 1800's it was known that different glass formulations resulted in superior images. Also, the limits of the wavelength of light were known in the 1800's and oil immersion objectives were introduced. The history of the microsccope is indeed a fascinationg read.
Still, the extremely high cost of these ultra precision instruments put them way out of the hands of millions of people that shared in the excitement of microscopy.
After the Second World War, Japan was able to expand their economy with low cost goods. Many of these products were of inferior quality. Amongst the many products produced inexpensively in Japan was the microscope. Fortunately, forward thinking entrepeneurs decided that 100% perfection was not absolutely necessary 100% of the time. It left open a huge market for many products, including the low cost microscope. Dozens of manufacturers flooded the market with dozens of microscopes, mostly inferior by some standards but adequate for the vast majority of consumers that just wanted a decent miroscope at a low price.
In the 1950's the market showed dozens of microscopes, all from Japan, with differing levels of optical quality. Their low prices were just right to introduce millions of microscope enthiusiasts to purchase one. It is very possible that the rapid increase in science and technolgy is directly attributable to these low cost entry level instruments that "turned on" millions of enthisiasts towards science. I suggest that the actual Golden Age of microscopy was between 1955 and 1965.
In the early 1900's, microscopes continued to evolve in magnification range, resolution, contrast, etc.
Even in the late 1800's it was known that different glass formulations resulted in superior images. Also, the limits of the wavelength of light were known in the 1800's and oil immersion objectives were introduced. The history of the microsccope is indeed a fascinationg read.
Still, the extremely high cost of these ultra precision instruments put them way out of the hands of millions of people that shared in the excitement of microscopy.
After the Second World War, Japan was able to expand their economy with low cost goods. Many of these products were of inferior quality. Amongst the many products produced inexpensively in Japan was the microscope. Fortunately, forward thinking entrepeneurs decided that 100% perfection was not absolutely necessary 100% of the time. It left open a huge market for many products, including the low cost microscope. Dozens of manufacturers flooded the market with dozens of microscopes, mostly inferior by some standards but adequate for the vast majority of consumers that just wanted a decent miroscope at a low price.
In the 1950's the market showed dozens of microscopes, all from Japan, with differing levels of optical quality. Their low prices were just right to introduce millions of microscope enthiusiasts to purchase one. It is very possible that the rapid increase in science and technolgy is directly attributable to these low cost entry level instruments that "turned on" millions of enthisiasts towards science. I suggest that the actual Golden Age of microscopy was between 1955 and 1965.