Life under microscope

📒 LIFE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE In 1667 an Englishman, Robert Hooke, placed a piece of cork under the lens of the recently invented and still very primitive microscope. He observed that the cork was composed of minute chambers like the honeycomb of a beehive, and to them he gave the Latin name of cellula. A new field of research lay awaiting development. In 1676 a Dutchman discovered the existence of living bacteria, and although it took a long time before the full significance of this was appreciated, progress was inevitable. The invention of the microscope opened up a vast new world to men's eyes. At once there came an amazing spate of discoveries in all branches of natural science, leading to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of life itself. Today, microscopic methods are indispensable not only in biology, mineralogy, geology, physics and chemistry, but also in all branches of applied science. The authors of this book have presented a wide selection from all the diverse material offered by the world of the microscope in its many theoretical, practical and aesthetic aspects, dealing with every major development up to and including the powerful electron microscope, and giving a fascinating picture of everything from the beautiful crystals of inorganic matter, through the most minute living organism, to the tiny beginnings of the human embryo. This is a superb selection of outstanding reproductions, of particular value to the student and specialist, and of absorbing interest ...