46 



C U. C. P. ALUMNI JOURNAL 



THE MICROSCOPE AND THE PRACTICAL MAN. 



By CHARLES W. BALLARD, 

 N. Y. C. P. '07. 



Ordinarily ivhen thinking of tJie use of the tnicroscope we limit its applicability 

 to pharmacognosy, bacteriology and pathology. Dr. Ballard, in a very 

 interesting and readable way, points out the fallacy of this and enumerates 

 and describes the many various other practical uses of the instrument. 



The object of these paragraphs is to 

 very briefly review the manifold uses of 

 the microscope and microscopic methods ; 

 to consider the branches or research and 

 practical work in which their use is ex- 

 tending; and a few added words con- 

 cerning the weak points, real and ap- 

 parent, of microtechnic. 



The microanalysis of to-day are deep- 

 ly indebted to the naturalists of the i6th 

 and 17th centuries, for the history of 

 the evolution of our modern compound 

 microscope from the simple lens is in- 

 timately interwoven with their work in 

 the development of the sciences of his- 

 tology, pathology and bacteriology ; we 

 might even say that research in these 

 fields is directly responsible for all the 

 important improvements in lens manu- 

 facture. The desire for greater mag- 

 nifications and clearer vision has been 

 the prime incentive in the production of 

 better optical parts for the instrument. 



While the usefulness of the micro- 

 scope in the conduct of scientific and 

 research work in its original field of his- 

 tology has never been disputed, it is 

 only within the past few decades that 

 analysts have demonstrated its value in 

 other lines and its scope of application 

 has widened until, from being an instru- 

 ment used only by a few scientists, it 

 has become almost as necessary in a 

 commercial laboratory as the analytical 



balance. Its former use as an instru- 

 ment of merely academic importance 

 has engendered scepticism as to its value 

 in practical and commercial work but, 

 with the modern tendency to leave time- 

 worn methods and appliances behind, to 

 adapt those useful in one field of en- 

 deavor to other fields, and to use labor 

 saving devices wherever possible, doubt 

 as to the commercial value of micro- 

 scopic methods is being dispelled. In 

 the paragraphs following we will briefly 

 discuss some of the uses of the instru- 

 ment in routine work. 



Food and Drug Work. 



Enforcement of legislation relating to 

 the adulteration of foods and drugs has 

 been an important factor in calling at- 

 tention to the utilization of microscopic 

 methods in detecting adulterants and del- 

 eterious substances. The microscope is 

 either used as an adjunct to chemical 

 work as a guide to the chemist in his 

 search for foreign materials, or the re- 

 sults obtained through use of the instru- 

 ment are regarded as complete and are 

 not subjected to substantiation by chem- 

 ical tests. Even were the microscope 

 only for use in work preliminary to 

 chemical methods it would be a most 

 valuable means of saving time. Several 

 chemists of my acquaintance, recogniz- 

 ing that microscopy is a special and 



