153 



CN THE COLLECTED PAPERS OF ABBE, AND 

 MICROSCOPE THEORY IN GERMANY. 



By Julius Rheixberg, F.R.M.S. 



{Read March 17th, 1905.) 



There has just appeared, from the pen of Prof. IT. Anibronn, 

 in the Zeitschrift fur IV "issenschaftliche Mikroskopie of January, 

 a most excellent detailed review of the collected papers of the 

 late Prof. Abbe, which were published last year.* From no one 

 could we have a more trustworthy account of the salient features 

 of Abbe's work on the microscope than from Dr. Ambronn, a 

 professor of the University of Jena who stood in close connection 

 with Prof. Abbe for a number of years ; and feeling sure that so 

 comprehensive a summary of his work would be received with 

 interest by the members of our Club — which, we may remember 

 with pride, has counted Prof. Abbe as one of its honorary 

 members for over twenty-five years — I am bringing before you, 

 with the kind permission of Dr. Ambronn and of the editor of 

 the Zeitschrift filr Wissenschaftliche Jlikroskopie, a translation of 

 this review. 



You will, I think, find even an additional interest in it, 

 because one can clearly discern that not only are the views of 

 Abbe set forth, but also that the paper faithfully reflects the 

 present German standpoint on many questions of practical and 

 theoretical importance. Differences of language act as a natural 

 barrier ; work done in one country is often not followed as 

 closely in another as would be the case if they had a common 

 language ; and so it happens that we not unfrequently find 

 the trend of thought and reasoning in two countries differing 

 materially with regard to certain problems. In microscopy it 

 is a matter of common knowledge that in this country and on 



* Gcsammelte AbTiandlungen von Ernst Abbe. Edited by Dr. S. 

 Czapski. Published by Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1904. 



