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About  Magnifiers. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharnr 
May,  1879. 
did,  claiming  that  it  was  original  with  me  and  recommending  it  as  an 
improvement  in  certain  cases  over  any  other  which  I  had  seen — the 
rubber  nipple  included.  Subsequently  to  this  the  modification  has  been 
used  somewhat  in  the  laboratory  of  Dr.  Squibb,  and  I  doubt  not  in 
other  similar  establishments.  So  far  as  I  know  and  believe,  that  of  my 
manufacture  was  the  first  upon  the  model  figured,  and  that  my  idea  of 
the  device  originated  either  from  any  similarly  constructed,  or  from  Dr, 
Squibb,  I  cannot  admit. 
Having  shown  the  device,  as  original,  to  several  professional  gentle- 
men, and  being  assured  that  it  was  to  them  new,  I  ventured  to  describe, 
it  in  the  "  Journal."  As  far  as  I  know  the  right  to  thus  describe  it 
was  mine,  though  I  cannot  of  course  state  that  it  may  not,  without  my 
knowledge,  have  been  previously  employed.  In  that  case  I  shall  very 
cheerfully  waive  my  present  claim  to  its  originality. 
April  12,  1879. 
ABOUT  MAGNIFIERS. 
By  Hans  M.  Wilder. 
Last  month  I  called  attention  to  a  microscope  which,  although  cheapT 
is  really  a  good  one.  I  have  only  to  add  that  those  wishing  higher 
power  than  one  hundred  diameters  may  buy  a  quarter  inch  French 
achromatic  triplet  from  any  respectable  optician  at  from  three  to  five 
dollars  ;  the  milled  heads  of  the  instrument  are  large  enough  and  the 
teeth  of  the  rack  are  fine  enough  to  permit  easy  focusing.  The  power 
will  be  increased  to  over  two  hundred. 
In  order  to  use  a  microscope  to  advantage,  the  objects  have  to  be 
prepared,  and  this  can  most  easily  be  done  with  the  aid  of  a  hand  mag- 
nifier (what  the  Germans  call  "  Loupe  ").  As  it  is  tedious  work,  and 
sometimes  impossible,  to  hold  the  magnifier  in  one  hand  while  preparing 
with  the  other,  a  kind  of  stand  is  desirable  which  permits  the  free  use 
of  both  hands  and  relieves  the  eye  from  the  excessive  strain  of  contin- 
ually accommodating  itself  to  the  always  changing  focus. 
I  presume  that  in  nearly  every  drugstore  is  found  a  "  note-detector  " 
(one  of  those  three-legged  microscopes),  an  old  prescription  jile  with  a 
heavy  foot,  and  probably  also  a  pocket-lens,  whether  single,  doublet  or 
triplet. 
Take  the  prescription  file  (if  provided  with  a  hook,  break  that  off) 
and  sharpen  the  end  to  a  point  ;  get  a  sound,  preferably  velvet,  cork  of 
