EARLY DAYS OF THE MICROSCOPE 



and surrounded by a rampart of hairs, all of such 

 marvellous kind that you would say they are a 

 work of art rather than of nature." 



At about this period the microscope was used for 

 the first time for medical work and, as far as can 

 be ascertained, Pierre Borel was the first to use it 

 for this purpose, and he learned a great deal about 

 the structure of flesh and the appearance of blood. 



Of all the early writers on microscopy the man 

 who spread abroad his knowledge of the instrument 

 and its capabilities, more than anyone else, was 

 Kircher, who died in 1680. He was an energetic 

 writer, and wrote on a large number of subjects. 

 His books dealt with magnetism, designs for a cal- 

 culating machine, light, sound, history of plague, 

 the philosopher's stone, Egyptian antiquities, a 

 history of China and a grammar. To all who read 

 his book on the plague, it is clear that he had a 

 good idea of infection; he was, in fact, the first 

 writer who suspected it, though the microscope he 

 used could not show him bacteria. In his book he 

 wrote : " Everyone knows that decomposing bodies 

 breed worms, but only since the wonderful discovery 

 of the microscope has it been known that every 

 putrid body swarms with innumerable vermicules, 

 a statement which I should not have believed had 

 I not tested its truth by experiments during many 

 years." The experiments he performed to prove 

 his statement are so quaint that we give them in 

 his own words. 



Experiment L — *' Take a piece of meat which you 



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