Lighting Objects Microscope

Lighting of Objects for Use of the Microscope

While the objective and ocular are the fundamental constituents of a microscope, it must never be forgotten that for their most effective use provision must be made for so lighting the objects to be studied that their structural features may be brought out. This involves the use of a sub stage condenser to insure an adequate aperture of the illuminating light. This again necessitates a sufficient source of light either natural or artificial. If it is artificial, it must be sufficiently brilliant on the one hand, and on the other it is a great advantage to have it of daylight quality, such as that given by the Chalet Lamp with its daylight glass screens.

For gaining glimpses of structure and physical condition beyond what can be gained by the microscope lighted with ordinary visible radiation, either reflected or transmitted, one now has available dark-field illumination; illumination by polarized light, and radiation by the invisible ultra-violet. Radiation by the long waves of the infra-red may reveal structural details. In a word, to gain the deepest insight into microscopic structure every possible source of information should be utilized, and new ones constantly looked for.

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