THE 



PREPARATION AND MOUNTING 



OF 



MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS 



CHAPTER I. 



APPARATUS. 



BEFORE entering into the subject of the setting of Objects for the 

 Microscope, the student must be convinced of the necessity of 

 cleanliness in everything relating to the use of that instrument. 

 Tn no branch is this more apparent than in the preparation of 

 objects; because a slide which would be considered perfectly 

 clean when viewed in the ordinary way is seen to be far otherwise 

 when magnified some hundreds of diameters ; and those constant 

 enemies, the floating particles of dust, are everywhere present, 

 and it is only by unpleasant experience that we fully learn what 

 cleanliness is. 



Any object which is to be viewed under the microscope must, 

 of course, be supported in some way this is now usually done by 

 placing it upon a glass slide, which on account of the transpa- 

 rency has a great advantage over other substances. These 

 *' slides " are almost always made of one size, viz., three inches 

 long by one broad, generally having the edges ground so as to 

 remove all danger of scratching or cutting any object with which 

 they may come in contact. The glass must be very good, else 

 the surface will always present the appearance of uncleanliness 

 and dust. This dusty look is very common amongst the cheaper 



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