12 



Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



ceps have become indispensable to both 

 teacher and student alike. 



The foundation of all true conceptions 

 of the structure and functions of the 

 bodies of plants and animals rests upon 

 a clear understanding of the structure 

 and functions of cells, and since the lat- 

 ter are far too minute to be studied with 

 the naked eye, it is needless to say that 

 all study of anatomy and physiology of 

 animals and plants must necessarily in- 

 clude a thorough examination of their 

 [tissues by the aid of the microscope. No 

 clear idea of the structure of muscle, 

 nerve, bone, cartilage, secreting cell, 

 animalcules, lower cryptogamic plants, 

 pollen grains, etc., etc., can be obtained 

 by reading only. TTie objects must actu- 

 ally be seen. Once seen and carefully 

 examined they are rarely if ever forgot- 

 ten. The boy who has studied with a 

 microscope knows that a cell is some- 

 thing more than "a circle with a little 

 circle in it, containing a dot." None but 

 a boy brought up on text-books would 

 define the object in those words. It is 

 safe to say, that there is no flrst-class 

 high school in the country which has not 

 its outfit of microscopes. There are still 

 some teachers, however, who have failed 

 to keep abreast of progress and are still 

 making the text-book, rather than the 

 specimen, the chief source of knowledge. 

 Some of these do not care to better their 

 work, others, even though they could 

 have instruments for the asking, stand 

 in awe of the microscope, and fear that 

 they may damage the instrument irre- 

 parably if they try to handle it, while 

 still others, anxious beyond measure to 

 adopt the best methods of instruction, 

 find themselves hampered by the igno- 

 rance and whims of principals, superin- 

 tendents and school boards. The remedy 

 for the first class of teachers is either 

 to force them into the adoption of cor- 

 rect methods of teaching or to dismiss 

 them and supply their places with more 

 intelligent and progressive successors. 

 Teachers included in the second class 

 will be surprised to find how easily and 

 quickly they can learn the simple tech- 

 nique required for such work as they will 

 have to do. High school pupils learn in 

 two or three exercises all that they need 

 to know about the use of eyepiece and 

 objective, mirror and diaphragm, coarse 

 and fine adjustment, illuminating the ob- 

 ject and finding the focus. Why cannot 

 the teacher do the same? The instruc- 

 tor, whose superiors are ignorant or un- 

 appreciative of the needs of his depart- 

 ment, can do nothing better than to en- 

 ter upon a campaign of enlightenment, 

 and to insist upon every possible occas- 

 ion upon the necessity of having an 

 equipment of microscopes. In the course 

 of time, persistence will as certainly win 



in this case as it has in many similar 

 ones, and the desired instruments will be 

 purchased. In this day of cheap and 

 durable microscopes, when as good an 

 instrument as the pupil needs can be 

 bought for from $18 to $25, there is no 

 excuse whatever for any high school 

 being without an outfit. If it is impossi- 

 ble to supply each pupil in the class or 

 section with a separate instrument, there 

 ought at least to be one instrument, by 

 means of which minute structures and 

 organisms can be exhibited to the pupils 

 individually. Too often in the past, and 

 in some places it is still so, has the mic- 

 roscope been left in the department of 

 physics where it is studied (if at all) as 

 a means of illustrating certain principles 

 of optics. Its proper sphere is that of an 

 instrument of research, a means to an 

 end and not the end itself. 



The microscopes having been ob- 

 tained, it becomes necessary to have the 

 specimens properly prepared before they 

 can be examined. This is after all 

 in many cases a very simple mat- 

 ter, consisting merely of putting the 

 object on the slide in a drop of 

 water and covering this with a cover 

 glass. In other cases good specimens, 

 as many of the tissues of the body for 

 example, are obtainable only by special 

 methods of preparation, involving per- 

 haps, fixing, hardening, imbedding, sec- 

 tioning, staining and mounting in some 

 special manner. These methods are, of 

 course, familiar only to the trained his- 

 tologist. Nevertheless, specimens pre- 

 pared in this manner can now be ob- 

 tained at very small cost from deal- 

 ers in microscopical supplies and a 

 single set will last indefinitely, if 

 properly handled, for the specimens 

 are so mounted as to be perma- 

 nently preserveid. Teachers of zoology, 

 botany and physiology can now 

 easily and cheaply procure all kinds of 

 specimens their classes are likely to 

 need. Hence, there is no excuse for a 

 teacher going without a microscope, 

 either on the plea that he does not know 

 how to handle it, or that he is not famil- 

 iar with the modes of preparing speci- 

 mens. Nor on the other hand can school 

 boards plead expense as an excuse for 

 not giving the high school a good equip- 

 ment, for the initial cost is very small 

 per microscope and the instruments will 

 last for a generation or longer if prop- 

 erly handled and not abused. 



Charles Wright Dodge. 



University of Rochester, Dec. 2, 1897. 



An early number of the Journal will 

 contain an article on 'Mitosis, illustrated 

 with photo-micrographs. 



