H 



Francois Grindelius (1687), and Philippe Bonani 

 (1688). 



In spite of the Dutch claiming the invention of the 

 compound microscope, Carpenter states that there is 

 plenty of evidence that Galileo either was the first or 

 else simultaneously invented it. 



Viviani, an Italian mathematician, states that "'This 

 great man was led to the discovery of the microscope 

 from that of the telescope." In a letter of 1621, it was 

 remarked that Galileo explained the use of Cornelius 

 Drebell's microscope sent to the Cardinal of St. Susanna, 

 who did not know how to use them. The writer, one 

 Aleandro, further adds: "Galileo told me that he had 

 invented an occhiale which magnifies things as much as 

 50,000 times, so that one sees a fly as large as a hen." 

 As a matter of fact, this magnification reduced to our 

 methods of mensuration, would have been an enlarge- 

 ment of 36 diameters, about the relative size of a fly and 

 a hen. In any case, Galileo's familiarity with Drebell's 

 instruments showed clearly a previous familiarity with 

 the compound microscope as such. 



In these days when so much is done by fixing tissues 

 and cutting sections, I would put in a plea for the older 

 methods, and encourage students of the microscope to 

 view objects in the natural state before cutting them up. 



The anatomy of a spider, and the web of a spider 

 provide us with objects whose structure compels our 

 interest; but we must not forget first to watch the spider 

 itself, its habits, its strength of purpose ; even, as Robert 

 Bruce, we may learn of something to our advantage. The 

 same applies to bacteria, whose movements and natural 

 history are often of far greater importance than their 

 staining reactions. 



