236 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[December, 



cimens, we cannot promise to send 

 the particular ones asked for, as the 

 supply of some of them is small. 

 Requests will receive attention in the 

 order they are received. 



The following regulations will gov- 

 ern the distribution of specimens, 

 viz : 



1. Specimens will only be sent to 

 those who send envelopes or boxes, 

 stamped and addressed for return, as 

 mentioned above. 



2. Not more than two specimens 

 will be sent to a single applicant. 



3. Loose postage stamps are not 

 desired. We cannot undertake to re- 

 turn stamps. 



o 



Concerning Microscopes. — A 

 somewhat amusing, as well as char- 

 acteristic, article entitled ' Workers 

 and their Instruments' appeared in 

 the October number of Science Rec- 

 ord. The writer, who is evidently 

 the editor, gave a list of thirty-one 

 persons ' who by their researches 

 with the microscope are actually in- 

 creasingthe sum of human knowledge, 

 and none who are microscopists in 

 the narrow sense of the word,' stating 

 in each case the kind of stand used by 

 the person named. From this list it 

 is found that thirteen use Zeiss, ten 

 Hartnack, five Zentmayer, three 

 Tolles, two Wales, and the others 

 Beck, Gundlach and Seybei't stands. 

 The obvious purpose of the article 

 was to prove the superiority of for- 

 eign microscopes over those of Ameri- 

 can manufacture. It is true, the au- 

 thor admits, that 'there are several 

 makers who turn out very creditable 

 instruments' in the United States; 

 and we are surely much pleased to 

 read even that concession from such a 

 source. It must, indeed, be gratify- 

 ing to some of our best makers to be 

 thus encouraged and pati'onized. 



Unfortunately for our author, his 

 article proves nothing. In the first 

 place, the list of names is too small 

 to be of much consequence in an ar- 

 gument of this kind ; moreover, it is 

 far from comprehensive. Evidently 



it is made up only of persons known 

 either personally or by reputation to 

 the writer of the article, and, there- 

 fore, it is scarcely representative. It 

 is true, all the gentlemen named are 

 eminent for their scientific work ; yet 

 scarcely any of them have been en- 

 gaged in microscopical work requir- 

 ing special skill as microscopists. 

 Why, then, need they consider for a 

 moment what is the most perfect 

 stand, when the simplest and most 

 convenient German microscope serves 

 their purpose perfectly well .'' 



On the other hand, we might com- 

 pile a similar list, embracing only per- 

 sons who ' are actually increasing the 

 sum of human knowledge,' etc., and 

 more especially by researches strictly 

 microscopical — that is, who require 

 the highest technical skill in their 

 work — with quite different results. 

 Strange as it may seem to a writer 

 who is not acquainted with the whole 

 comprehensive field of microscopical 

 work, there really are other persons 

 in the country who ai-e ' actually in- 

 creasingthe sum of human knowledge ' 

 by their microscopical observations. 

 We trust they will not feel slighted 

 at being left out in the cold, for the 

 writer of the article either did not 

 know them, or was not aware of the 

 value of their work — which is his mis- 

 fortune. 



Although we have not tabulated the 

 results of our own limited observa- 

 tions, we are still under the impres- 

 sion that American microscopes are 

 quite generally used and i^ecom mended 

 by American scientific observers. 

 However, it is a useless pastime to 

 argue over this matter. In one re- 

 spect the German stands have the ad- 

 vantage over our own, but the writer 

 does not intimate that any person's 

 choice could be influenced thereby. 

 It is this : Foreign microscopes can 

 be imported free of duty, by institu- 

 tions and pi-ofessional men, cheaper 

 than equally good American ones can 

 be bought. But the foreign instru- 

 ments are no better — indeed in some 

 respects not so good — as those of a 



