The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-02-03
gMistfllalteo1tS.
Anecdotes of the Microscope.

|
| to stars, and stars into suns, which peoples
| the blue armament with myriad worlds, is
not more wonderful than the little micro
scope, which reveals "the grand immensity
| of litteness." When it came into mans
| possession it was as though a second Colum-
bus had appeared, announcing the existence
of new world and not one merely
The microscope reveals in q single drop of
water globe, peopled, according to Ehren-
berg, with five hundred millions of living
creatures, different from anything which
man has seen before 1t shows US every
bit of clay and stone, every leaf and bud and
flower, a world crowded with its busy mul-
titudes. The substance ofthese animalcule
is usually so transparent that the internal
structure is visible-even the act of diges-
tion can be watched, and the food traced
from its mouth to its passage into the inter
nal cavities. The eggs also can be seen
within the bodies Thus the microscope
has silently overthrown mans theories for
the explanation 81 vital phenomena, and
has furnished materials for their true eluci-
dation. ..,-,. ,e5fe.ft.f.fa
The microscope teaches man the struc-
ture of trees, and the uses they best serve in
the affairs of life. BY it he learns the ele-
ments entering into particular soils, and is
enabled to supply those fertilizers necessary
to the production of the desired crop
The accuracy with which the microscope
detects counterfeit bills and forged manu-
script, adulterations in food and liquors, rem
der this instrument valuable ally of JUS
| tice. .f,;..,f
| TO the physician this instrument is an in
valuable assistant. 1t explains why the
bloodf from one animal injected into the sys-
| tenn Of another of the same species, dying
| from the loss of blood, is successful in pre-
serving life, while that from different spe-
cies miserably falls 1t enables him to pro-
| cure pure food and medicines for his pa
tients, pointing with unerring accuracy to
any adulteration which they may contain
1t teaches him the nature ofcutaneous dis
eases and surface. protuberances. DIR. An
| drew Clarke, after having carefully studied
the appearances of sputa from patients un-
der his care, says that @the microscope in
spection of expectoration affords, at very
early period of consumption; definite infor-
nation, not otherwise attainable regarding
the nature of the malady; and at all times
must furnish valuable aid in forming prog
nosis regarding the causes. of the COM
| plant" .,.( .g.l ,sst,, 4. .sa5s.s, .e.,e q.a.
But we are wandering from the design ot
this paper, which is to present a few apec.
dotes, collected from various sources, Illus
i trating the Importance and power of the
microscopes. 'di bn9oi Iiat al p'Ioiq tinj
While the great Prussian microscopic
Ehrenberg was travelling through India, he
fell into conversation with a Brahmin
whose religious faith forbade him taking
life of any kind, or eating of that which had
ever possessed life. Ehrenberg, wishing
to demonstrate to the Brahmin the absurd
ity of his belief, exhibited by the microscope
the world of animalcule life containedin d
single drop of water. ~s'ssas ai'
@Alas " said the poor Brahmin in des
pair, t"you have destroyed my happiness
and my life also; for / see now that i shal
never. be able to drink, and must perish o
i thirst. gf3isr5 1salEio sA4 +, gtrsa sI se1san
II Ehrenberg answered him by showing tha'
single drop of rum poured into tumblei
ofwater, caused all the animalculae to pre-
cipitate themselves to the bottom of TIT
I glass, trust this solution of his perplex
} ity did not lead the Brahmin into habits O
intemperance. fsaia., s.-as .osIo, e,.,i
In connection with this celebrated mi
roscopist the following curious anecdote is
: related /: Some years since in England bar
rels containing gold dust were emptied o
theirprecious contents, and filled with sand
The party robbed, not being entirely salts
! fed with the exchange, submitted the cas-
to the microscopic Ehrenberg. The latter
byexamining with the microscope speci
mems OF sand from the several stations OF
that part of the road traversed by the bar
rels, was enabled by the Ipecularities of it
> fappearance to designate the place at whic
the barrels had been filed. The officer
ofjustice were thus put upon the right track
and the thieves captured. rlsa
! In our own country, not manyyears since
+, a most curious and Interesting case of mul
: der was decided by IL wonderful silen
Z witness. The individual toward whom th
whole eireumstantial evidence was pointin
+ as the guilty man, claimed that the bloc
I, stains found on knife acknowledged to b
his, property, were from o lamb which b
had the day before killed. The microscop
was brought to bear upon the instrumen
by men known to be ignorant Of the eli
: cumstances Of the case. The blood-stair
we're not only found to be those of a hu
man being, but the microscope revealed 0
the blade what had been inperceptible
q the naked eye, a secretion peculiar to til
glands Of the throat. Stranger still,
:. pointed tocotton fbers on the blade of I'll
nt instrument. '"rhe knife,'' said the micr
scopists in their report, ''has been used