What was the significance of the invention of the microscope? History of the invention of the microscope

A microscope is a unique device designed to magnify microimages and measure the size of objects or structural formations observed through the lens. This development is amazing, and the importance of the invention of the microscope is extremely great, because without it there would not exist some directions of modern science. And from here in more detail.

A microscope is a telescope-related device that is used for completely different purposes. With the help of it it is possible to consider the structure of objects that are invisible to the eye. It allows to determine the morphological parameters of microformations, as well as to estimate their volumetric location. Therefore, it is even difficult to imagine the importance of the invention of a microscope, and how its appearance affected the development of science.

History of the microscope and optics

Today it is difficult to answer who invented the microscope first. Probably, this issue will also be widely discussed, as well as creating a crossbow. However, unlike weapons, the invention of the microscope did occur in Europe. And who exactly, is still unknown. The likelihood that the discoverer of the device was Hans Jansen, a Dutch master of spectacles, is quite high. His son, Zacharias Jansen, in 1590, a statement was made that he, together with his father, had constructed a microscope.

But already in 1609, there was another mechanism, which was created by Galileo Galilei. He called it occhiolino and presented the public to the National Academy dei Lincei. Proof that the microscope could already be used at that time is the sign on the seal of Pope Urban III. It is believed that it is a modification of the image obtained by microscopy. The light microscope (composite) of Galileo Galileo consisted of one convex and one concave lens.

Perfection and implementation in practice

Already 10 years after the invention of Galileo, Cornelius Drebbel creates a compound microscope with two convex lenses. And later, that is, by the end of the 1600s, Christian Huygens developed a two-lens eyepiece system. They are produced even now, although they lack the breadth of the survey. But, more importantly, with the help of such a microscope in 1665, Robert Hooke conducted a study of the slice of cork oak, where the scientist saw the so-called honeycomb. The result of the experiment was the introduction of the concept of "cell".

Another father of the microscope, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, only re-invented it, but managed to draw the attention of biologists to the device. And after that it became clear what importance the invention of the microscope had for science, because it allowed the development of microbiology. Probably, this device significantly accelerated the development of natural sciences, because until a person saw the microbes, he believed that the diseases are born from uncleanliness. And in science reigned concepts of alchemy and vitalistic theories of the existence of living and spontaneous life.

Microscope of Leuvenook

The invention of a microscope is a unique event in the science of the Middle Ages, because thanks to the device it was possible to find many new subjects for scientific discussion. Moreover, many theories collapsed thanks to microscopy. And in this great merit of Anton van Leeuwenhoek. He was able to refine the microscope so that it would allow you to see the cells in detail. And if we consider the question in this context, then Leuvenook is really the father of a microscope of this type.

Structure of the device

The Lewenhoek light microscope itself was a plate with a lens capable of repeatedly enlarging the objects under consideration. This plate with a lens had a tripod. Through it, it was mounted on a horizontal table. By directing the lens to light and placing the material under investigation between it and the flame of the candle, it was possible to see the bacterial cells. And the first material that Anthony van Leeuwenhoek researched was dental plaque. In it, the scientist saw many creatures, which he could not name yet.

The uniqueness of the Levenguk microscope is striking. The composite models available at that time did not give a high quality image. Moreover, the presence of two lenses only increased the defects. Because it took more than 150 years, while composite microscopes, originally developed by Galileo and Drebbel, began to produce the same image quality as Levenguk's device. The very same Anthony van Leeuwenhoek is still not considered the father of the microscope, but is by right a recognized master of microscopy of native materials and cells.

The invention and improvement of lenses

The very concept of a lens existed already in ancient Rome and Greece. For example, in Greece with the help of convex glasses it was possible to kindle a fire. And in Rome, long noticed the properties of glass vessels filled with water. They allowed to enlarge the images, although not many times. Further development of the lens is unknown, although it is obvious that progress on the spot could not stand.

It is known that in the 16th century in Venice, the use of spectacles became practical. Confirmation of this is the facts about the presence of machines for grinding glass, which made it possible to obtain lenses. Also, there were drawings of optical instruments, which are mirrors and lenses. The authorship of these works belongs to Leonardo da Vinci. But even earlier people worked with magnifying glasses: in 1268 Roger Bacon put forward the idea of creating a telescope. Later it was implemented.

Obviously, the authorship of the lens did not belong to anyone. But this was observed until the moment when Karl Friedrich Zeiss tackled the optics. In 1847, he began to produce microscopes. Then his company became the leader in the development of optical glasses. It exists until today, remaining the main in the industry. With it, cooperate all companies that produce photographic and video cameras, optical sights, range finders, telescopes and other devices.

Improvement of microscopy

The history of the invention of the microscope is striking in its detailed study. But no less interesting is the history of further improvement of microscopy. New types of microscopes began to appear , and the scientific thought that generated them was plunged deeper and deeper. Now the goal of the scientist was not only the study of microbes, but also the consideration of smaller components. These are molecules and atoms. Already in the 19th century, they were able to be studied through X-ray diffraction analysis. But science required more.

So, already in 1863 the researcher Henry Clifton of Sorbi developed a polarizing microscope for the study of meteorites. And in 1863 Ernst Abbe developed the theory of a microscope. It was successfully adopted in the production of Carl Zeiss. His company through this has developed to the recognized leader in the field of optical instruments.

But soon came 1931 - the time of creation of the electron microscope. It became a new kind of apparatus, allowing to see much more than light. It used for transmission not photons and polarized light, and electrons - particles much smaller than the simplest ions. It was the invention of the electron microscope that allowed the development of histology. Now scientists have gained full confidence that their judgments about the cell and its organelles are really correct. However, it was not until 1986 that the creator of the electron microscope Ernst Ruska was awarded the Nobel Prize. Moreover, as early as 1938 James Hiller was building a transmission electron microscope.

The newest types of microscopes

Science after the success of many scientists developed faster. Therefore, the goal, dictated by new realities, was the need to develop a highly sensitive microscope. And already in 1936, Erwin Müller produces a field emission device. And in 1951 another device was produced - a field ion microscope. Its importance is extreme, because it was the first time he allowed scientists to see atoms. And in addition to this, in 1955 Jerzy Nomarsky develops the theoretical foundations of differential interference-contrast microscopy.

Perfection of the newest microscopes

The invention of a microscope is not yet a success, because, as a matter of principle, it is not difficult to make ions or photons pass through biological media, and then to view the resulting image. That's just the question of improving the quality of microscopy was really important. And after these conclusions, scientists created a fly-by-mass analyzer, which was called the scanning ion microscope.

This device made it possible to scan a single atom and obtain data on the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. Together with X-ray diffraction analysis, this method has significantly accelerated the process of identifying many substances found in nature. And already in 1981, a scanning tunneling microscope was introduced, and in 1986 - an atomic-force microscope. 1988 is the year of the invention of the scanning electrochemical tunnel type microscope. And the most recent and most useful is the Kelvin power probe. It was developed in 1991.

Assessment of the global significance of the invention of the microscope

Beginning in 1665, when Leeuwenhoek started to process glass and produce microscopes, the industry developed and became more complicated. And wondering about the importance of the invention of the microscope, it is worth considering the main achievements of microscopy. So, this method allowed to consider the cell, which served as another impetus to the development of biology. Then the device allowed to see the cell organelles, which made it possible to form regularities of the cellular structure.

Then the microscope allowed to see the molecule and the atom, and later scientists were able to scan their surface. Moreover, even electron clouds of atoms can be seen through a microscope. Since the electrons move at the speed of light around the nucleus, it is completely impossible to consider this particle. Despite this, it should be understood how important the invention of the microscope was. He made it possible to see something new that can not be seen with the eye. This is an amazing world, the study of which brought the person closer to modern achievements in physics, chemistry and medicine. And it's worth all the trouble.