492 
BY A LADY FRIEND. 
work in the true interest of science, it is true, and endeavored to 
carry on tlieir work in a true scientific manner, but were perhaps 
sometimes led away by the desire to satisfy the vulgar curiosity 
of their time. It was not their fault that thev did not bring tlieir 
investigations to the development of a scientific microscopic an¬ 
atomy—that is, to make microscopy an independent scientific 
discipline. It was the result of the imperfect instruments with 
which they had to work. 
We shall next examine the development and progress made in 
the apparatus for microscopical work. We shall first consider 
the appliance for holding the object. It filled an ever increasing 
demand for a medium through which observation of microscopical 
objects was made easy and convenient. In order to estimate cor¬ 
rectly the development of microscopy, we must examine the means 
for preserving the preperat or the preparation, which are even so 
worthy of mention. We shall all notice the manner of preserving 
the preparation. 
According to Huygens, small plates made of mica were almost 
exclusively used as object holders. In general the objects were 
fixed on with wax or turpentine. Sometimes they were pressed 
between two small mica plates. These were afterwards replaced by 
a concave glass tablet having peculiar contrivances, by means of 
which they could be firmly attached to the microscope. Liquids 
were examined in glass tubes; living animals in a vessel which 
consisted of a concave and plane glass. The so-called water in¬ 
sect vessel was used by Leewenhock, and was later very much 
changed and improved. 
Many microscopes, in the place of the object table, had forceps 
by which the objects were held fast. This arrangement was used 
in part until the second period of microscopy. Object holders 
with concave cavities were used at an early date. It is very in¬ 
teresting to relate that Leewenhock had an apparatus by which 
he examined the circulation of blood in animals. 
In 1718 a very curious contrivance was brought into use for 
observing living fish. The subject was placed upon the object 
table; a lead plate was laid upon the body in such a manner that 
it was incapable of moving any portion of the body except the 
