THE I'liESlDtiXT's ADDRESS. 183 



that can be wished, it would be unfair to blame the opticians, for 

 they have simply catered for a public want. The demand comes 

 mainly from the teachers in the laboratories of our medical 

 schools, who seem almost with one accord to have capitulated 

 to the Continental fashion, and to have advised their students 

 accordingly. 



Now it must at once be admitted that the better forms of 

 small stand are very handy to use, and that they allow of the 

 manipulation and examination of specimens in fluid whilst lying 

 horizontally on the stage. 



There is no doubt that they serve their purpose well, and it 

 would be hopeless, if indeed it were desirable, to attempt to 

 displace them by instruments of larger build. It should always, 

 however, be insisted upon that instruments of this type must 

 be constructed as simply and as rigidly as possible. They should 

 be fitted with a large, firm stage, preferably of glass or of some 

 other material that will resist the action of corrosive and other 

 fluids ; and sufiicient space should be given between the pillar 

 and the central opening of the stage to allow of the use of large 

 cidture plates, and of ordinary apparatus for dissection. There 

 should always be a substage fitting, perfectly centered to the optic 

 axis of the microscope tube ; but it is doubtful whether it is 

 worth the expense to mount the illuminating apparatus for 

 instruments of this kind on a centering and focussing substage. 

 Such instruments as these should be jDrovided in all cases with 

 a double nosepiece. This type of microscope is common in the 

 English market at the present time, and appears to meet with 

 general approval. Several instruments of like description, 

 carefully and substantially made, have been submitted for the 

 inspection of the Club during the year : for example, the " Fram " 

 microscope of Messrs. Watson, the " Scientific-Student " microscope 

 of Messrs. Beck, and some others. But I have occasionally 

 observed, especially of late years, a tendency to increase both 

 the complexity and the costliness of these instruments, and this 

 to such a degree as to render them unsuitable for the purpose 

 for which they were designed, and which alone they are fitted 

 to serve — namely, that of dissecting, or laboratory working 

 instruments. I have met with stands, not exceeding ten inches 

 in height, fitted with binocular bocUes, triple or even quadruple 

 nosepieces, elaborate mechanical stages, smnging or so-called 



