{"id":82,"date":"2021-01-03T18:45:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-03T18:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scopedetective.com\/?p=82"},"modified":"2021-01-21T18:05:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T18:05:38","slug":"history-and-timeline-of-microscopy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/history-and-timeline-of-microscopy\/","title":{"rendered":"History and Timeline of Microscopy (1590 to Today)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microscopes gradually evolved from eyeglasses and optical lenses that have been in use since about the 13th<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n

\"HistoryBut the modern light microscope was born somewhere in the late 16th<\/sup> and early 17th<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019ll outline the evolution of the microscope from the rudimentary lenses of the 1590s through to the sophisticated atom-viewing electron microscopes of today.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a quick run-through of the timeline.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a timeline of microscope discoveries, see here.<\/p>\n

Microscopy Timeline<\/h2>\n
\n

1590<\/strong> \u2013 Janssen & Lipperhey work on Compound Lenses<\/a>
1609<\/strong> \u2013 Galileo Develops Microscopes<\/a>
1665<\/strong> \u2013 Robert Hooke develops Cell Theory<\/a>
1678<\/strong> \u2013 Van Leeuwenhoek views Bacteria<\/a>
1729<\/strong> \u2013 Chester Moore Hall invents Achromatic Lens<\/a>
1846<\/strong> – Carl Zeiss Begins Manufacturing Microscopes<\/a>
1870<\/strong> \u2013 Ernst Abbe invents the Abbe Condenser<\/a>
1893\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 August Kohler invents K\u00f6hler illumination<\/a>
1931<\/strong> \u2013 Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska invent the Electron Microscope<\/a>
1932<\/strong> \u2013 Phase Contrast Microscopy Developed<\/a>
1981<\/strong> \u2013 Gerd Bennig and Heinrich Rohrer invent the Scanning Tunnel Microscope<\/a>
1986<\/strong> \u2013 Gerd Bennig invents Atomic Force Microscope<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

History of the Microscope<\/h2>\n

We can trace the invention of the microscope back to a town named Middelburg in the Netherlands. But there is debate over who was the original inventor. Two neighbors and rival spectacle makers each laid claim to the invention.<\/p>\n

Before 1590<\/h3>\n

We know that the ancient Greeks used rudimentary curved lenses to achieve magnification. Eyeglasses were subsequently invented in the 13th<\/sup> Century in Italy when glass-blown lenses were developed and held together by wooden frames for the first time.<\/p>\n

While these uses of glass for magnification were important precursors to the microscope, the first modern microscope was invented in the Netherlands in 1590.<\/p>\n

1590 \u2013 Invention of the Microscope<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s unclear exactly who invented the microscope, we can trace its invention back to sometime between 1590 and 1608 in the town of Middelberg in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

In this town, there were to rival spectacle makers who each could have been the inventor. The first is Hans Lippershey, who filed the first patent for a \u201cDutch perspective glass\u201d in 1608. His patent was spread around Europe and at the time he was widely credited as the inventor of the microscope.<\/p>\n

In later years, Johannes Zachariassen claimed his father – Zacharias Janssen \u2013 was the true inventor of the microscope. Johannes argued his father\u2019s invention was stolen by their rival, and a Dutch investigation in 1655 found this likely to be true.<\/p>\n

It remains a mystery about who the true inventor was, but you can read more about this mystery (and some reasons Zachariassen\u2019s claims might be flawed) in the article linked below.<\/p>\n

> See More: Who REALLY invented the Microscope?<\/a><\/p>\n

1609 \u2013 Galileo Galilei\u2019s Microscopes<\/h3>\n

If you polled 100 people on the street today, chances are most of them would say Galileo invented the microscope. This is not true. Galileo\u2019s first microscope, in 1609, was likely developed after he caught word of Lippershey\u2019s patent in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

However, Galileo was instrumental in refining and improving the microscope. By 1624 he had created a microscope containing three bi-convex lenses that could achieve up to 30x magnification.<\/p>\n

Galileo dubbed his microscope the \u201cocchiolino\u201d and presented it to The Linceans <\/em>science academy. Later, a Lincean fellow, Giovanni Faber, re-named the occhiolino to the \u201cmicroscope\u201d to achieve analogous parity with the already named \u201ctelescope\u201d, and there the name was born.<\/p>\n

> See More: Did Galileo invent the Microscope?<\/a><\/p>\n

1665 \u2013 Robert Hooke invents Cell Theory<\/h3>\n

Robert Hooke was a true Renaissance man, often dubbed \u201cEngland\u2019s Leonardo\u201d. Among his many scientific pursuits was microscopy.<\/p>\n

In 1665, Hooke published a book entitled Micrographia<\/em>. In this book, Hooke introduced the idea of a \u2018cell\u2019 which he found while observing cork under a microscope. He dubbed it a cell because the cells in the cork looked like honeycomb cells. This book also presented other findings in microscopy, including detailed images of fly eyes, as well as findings in telescopy. But central to the book\u2019s fame is the first cell observation made under a microscope.<\/p>\n

1678 \u2013 van Leeuwenhoek becomes the father of microscopy<\/h3>\n

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek made many of the early discoveries in microscopy, leading to his nickname as the \u2018father of microscopy<\/a>\u2019. At a time before the invention of the more advanced achromatic lens, van Leeuwenhoek was able to create very small lenses with short focal length which achieved magnification between 50x and 300x.<\/p>\n

With his strong magnification lenses, van Leeuwenhoek set to work discovering some of the most important foundational details of microscopy.<\/p>\n

Among his discoveries were bateria, protozoa and spermatozoa. He also expanded on Malpighi\u2019s work on blood capillaries by observing and describing red blood cells.<\/p>\n

1729 \u2013 Chester Moore Hall invents achromatic lens<\/h3>\n

Chester Moore Hall is credited as the inventor of the achromatic lens, which corrects for chromatic aberration \u2013 better known as \u2018color distortion\u2019. The invention was achieved through observing the shape of the human eye. Based on these observations, he managed to duplicate properties of the eye using crown and flint glass. He first applied this technology to the telescope, and it was later also applied to microscopy.<\/p>\n

1846 \u2013 Carl Zeiss Manufacturing<\/h3>\n

Zeiss microscopes, which still exist today, were the first microscopes to be mass produced. This microscope manufacturing firm in Germany became renowned for the quality of their microscopes, and helped propel microscopy into the mainstream of science. Microscopes became more abundant in scientific universities, and Zeiss\u2019s collaborations with colleagues such as Ernst Abbe led to further refinement of the quality of microscopes.<\/p>\n

1870 \u2013 Ernst Abbe invents the Abbe Condenser<\/h3>\n

Ernst Abbe worked with Carl Zeiss to invent the Abbe Condenser. This is a light condenser placed under the stage of a microscope to allow the user to control the spread of light beneath a specimen. The Abbe condenser allows for strong and even illumination under a translucent specimen to make it easier to see under the microscope. Combined with a iris diaphragm, the 1.25 NA Abbe condenser is industry standard in compound light microscopes that you find in schools and universities to this day.<\/p>\n

> See More: What does a Microscope Condenser Do?<\/a><\/p>\n

1893\u00a0\u2013 August Kohler invents K\u00f6hler illumination<\/h3>\n

Prior to K\u00f6hler illumination, microscope images were often clouded by a filament image that was visible to the observer. The filament from a halogen globe could be seen through the viewfinder, distorting the image and creating an uneven backdrop. K\u00f6hler illumination solved this problem by causing the background image to be fully dispersed and defocused, allowing for a better quality user experience.<\/p>\n

K\u00f6hler illumination is prominent in higher-end lab quality light microscopes today.<\/p>\n

1931 \u2013 Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska invent the electron microscope<\/h3>\n

Up until 1931, all microscopes operated through light microscopy. The problem with light microscopy, however, was that the wavelengths of light caused magnification to cap out at around 2000x \u2013 2500x (using oil immersion methods).<\/p>\n

These levels of magnification allow for viewing cells and bacteria, but not atoms.<\/p>\n

The most significant effort to address this problem was the invention of the electron microscope. Electrons have significantly shorter wavelengths than photons, allowing for greater magnification. While Knoll and Ruska\u2019s electron microscope did not achieve the high magnification of electron microscopes today, the basic technology was invented by them back in 1931.<\/p>\n

1932 \u2013 Frits Zernike invents Phase contrast microscopy<\/h3>\n

Phase contrast microscopy allows microscopists to view cells (and contrasts between cells and cell walls) that is not possible through regular brightfield light microscopy. A phase contrast microscope converts phase contrasts into brightness changes in the eye of the viewer. This significantly increases contrast of the image, allowing a user to view specimens that were previously only visible through cell staining techniques.<\/p>\n

Zernike was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 for his invention.<\/p>\n

1951 \u2013 The first Atom is Seen<\/h3>\n

Erwin Wilhelm M\u00fcller and his PhD student invented the Field Ion Microscope which was the first microscope capable of viewing atoms directly. The experiment involved placing a sharp tungsten tip inside a chamber of helium, cooling the tungsten to 21K, and electrifying it. Electrifying the tip causes helium atoms absorbed into the tungsten tip to be ionized, positively charged, and repelled from the tungsten. An image is formed by the repelled ions.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2013 Gerd Bennig and Heinrich Rohrer invent the scanning tunnel microscope<\/h3>\n

The scanning tunnel microscope employs quantum tunnelling to view atoms at better quality than ever before. This form of microscopy requires zero kelvin temperatures within a vacuum, but provides high quality images of atoms and allows scientists to manipulate atoms to see how they behave.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Microscopy continues to advance to this day. Today, inventions in microscopy tend to be achieved by teams of scientists in labs and universities around the world. These scientists are pushing the boundaries of what we know about the building blocks of our worlds.<\/p>\n

The above timeline of advances in microscopy is not an exhaustive timeline (I\u2019m not sure one could even exist!), but shows some of the more important developments that led us to understand the world at a more granular level than ever before.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] https:\/\/lensonleeuwenhoek.net\/content\/galileos-microscope<\/a><\/p>\n

[2] https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zacharias_Janssen<\/a><\/p>\n

[3] https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/figure\/Microscope-history-timeline-and-the-application-of-the-super-resolution-technology-in_fig1_313553790<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microscopes gradually evolved from eyeglasses and optical lenses that have been in use since about the 13th Century. But the modern light microscope was born somewhere in the late 16th and early 17th Century. In this post, I\u2019ll outline the evolution of the microscope from the rudimentary lenses of the 1590s through to the sophisticated …<\/p>\n

History and Timeline of Microscopy (1590 to Today)<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions\/316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scopedetective.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}