16 The Mickoscofe, 



It has been said that the short body and the vertical position 

 are essential to the proper study of Histology and Embryology. 

 I do not believe it. The reason oifered is that the objects 

 must frequently be examined in hquid and before their prepar- 

 tion is complete, in which case the stage must be horizontal to pre- 

 vent the liquid from running away. A histological laboratory 

 must be a sloppy and an unattractive place. I had supposed that 

 the use of the microscope was conducive to neatness and care, 

 demanding unusual tidiness and cleanliness in the preparation 

 of objects. Of course, if the stage is inclined and a large amount 

 of liquid is around the uncovered specimen, the fluid will run, 

 and drip, and make the stand unsightly to the fastidious student. 

 But the vertical position of the short-bodied stand is not con- 

 ducive to a clear brain ; it is conducive to a congested one. Con- 

 sequently, if the reader wants that, and also wants the object so 

 roughly and carelessly and incompletely prepared, he will buy 

 a German or a French stand. If he wants to be an investiga- 

 tor and to go about the work as his idiosyncrasies may prompt 

 him, he will think long and seriously before he selects one of 

 these continental models. Such a stand will cost more than a 

 better grade among the cheapest American instruments, but it 

 will have a horse-shoe shaped base to keep away the witches. If 

 he is afraid of the witches he would do well to get such a stand. 

 Otherwise not, 



Naegeli and Schwendener, in their work on the Microscope 

 in Theory and Practice, speak of the inclination of the body 

 tube, and tell us how the instrument may be placed in a hori- 

 zontal position when the stand has no joint at the top of the 

 pillar, " Large stands," they say, " are sometimes arranged so 

 that the body-tube turns with the object-stage on a horizontal 

 axis, and may, therefore, be inclined at any desired angle ; a 

 more convenient position of the head is thus attained, and the 

 body-tube may be used in a horizontal position. These advan- 

 tages, however, seem to us to be more than counterbalanced by 

 the inconvenience which the inclination of the stage involves. 

 Where a horizontal position of the body-tube is required, which 

 is seldom the case, the instrument may be laid down. The 

 horse-shoe stands are excellently adapted for this purpose, the 

 two ends of the horse-shoe forming, with the stage, a heavy tri- 

 pod." 



