Highlights in the Hist cry of Microbiology 19 



able to study in more detail the finer characteristics of bacterial 

 morphology which spurred schemes for attempting to classify these 

 newly discovered living forms. A German botanist, Ferdinand 

 Cohn (1828-1898), worked out beUveen 1872-1876 the first scheme 

 for classifying bacteria as plants rather than as animals. Can we 



Fig. 5. Table model electron microscope. (Courtesy of Radio Cor 

 poration of America, RCA Victor Division, Camden, New Jersey.) 



say that modern bacteriology began with this piece of work? At 

 this point the useful magnification of instruments was quite similar 

 to those employed today. A clear view of an object is not possible 

 when the object is smaller than half the wavelength of the light 

 being used to illuminate the field. This sets the limitations of 



