330 NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



the naked eye "), defines the former as " a free independent scientific 

 discipline of the natural sciences," and " claims the elementary forms 

 as the original and jieculiar domain of special Microscopy." 



It seems to us, with all deference to those who have from time to 

 time laboured to define " Microscojiy " as some special branch of 

 Biology, that they have been led to a fallacious resiilt, through a pre- 

 conceived idea as to what it would be convenient for the definition to be. 



There is, we think, no need to object to " Microscopy " being 

 limited to the Microscope as an instrument (the methods of its appli- 

 cation as well as its principles), and the hesitation to admit this has 

 apparently arisen on account of objections that it was thought would 

 then be urged against the existence of a "Microscopical" Society, to 

 which objections, however, there are obvious answers. 



The first is, that a " Microscopical " Society, if " Microscopy " 

 refers only to the instrument, is equivalent to a " Lancet " or a 

 " Theodolite " Society. 



Even if a Society were established for the single purpose of 

 dealing with the Microscope as an instrument, it would not by any 

 means stand on the same footing as the Lancet or the Theodolite. 

 The Microscope is an instrument sui generis, and is not comijarable 

 with any other. It is not only as regards its optical principles and 

 mechanical form, but in the various methods of its application, that 

 it might usefully furnish scope for a Society devoted only to those 

 points without regard to any others.* 



But further, it is an entire misapprehension if it is supposed that 

 the objects of any known Microscopical Society of the present day 

 are confined to the Microscope as an instrument. The objects of this 

 Society in particular have always been twofold, and have included to 

 an equal extent, to say the least, those branches of natural science 

 conveniently summarized as " the subjects of Microscopical research," 



The term "Microscopical," whicb, as aj^plied to a Society, was 

 no doubt originally used in a sense more nearly agreeing with its 

 strict etymological meaning, has come to be no more than a sign and 

 a symbol, as much as tlie title of ' Lancet ' apj^lied to a newspaper, or 

 those of " Eoyal " or " Linnean" to a Society. 



When this first objection is thus answered, it is then said that 

 another Society for the investigation of subjects of natural history is 

 not required. 



It must, however, be obvious that if fifty or twenty -five years ago 

 the Eoyal Society and the Linnean Society were sufficient to meet the 

 requirements of the biology of that day, the great advance that has 

 been made since that time, and the enormous extension in the ground 

 to be travelled over, is sufficient to justify the existence not of one 

 but of several additional Societies. Notwithstanding that there were 



* The uiott recent instance of the practical benefit to be derived from abstract 

 optical (Microscopical) principles is to be found in the oil-immersion objectives 

 (the origination of which is due to the Treasurer of this Society, Mr. Stephenson), 

 and which are the outcome of the liigLly technical, and to the biologist no doubt 

 extremely unintereoling discussions on angular aperture, but which have put 

 into his hamls a tool which is admitted to mark a greater improvement in 

 the means of investigation than any made since the j^erfectiug of achromalic 

 objectives. 



