The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-05-08


When viewed with a microscope, the water
was found crowded with animalcules one
thouSandth of an inch long, of an oval shape,
and encircled in the middle with ring of
ella. They darted about in all directions,
and etploded, their bodies bursting to pieces
a few seconds after their rapid motions had
ceased. The cilium is 4 slender tilament,
like hair, situated near the mouth of the
creature, used for purposes of locomotion,
obtaining food, and perhaps breathing. The
name is from the Latin word for eye-lash.
Some one places a tiny black gnat which
has alighted, Il mere dot ON his hand, be-
meath the wonder-tube, and 10, it turns into
Il monster as shocking, with its horned and
hairy head, and dangerous tail, and muir
derous sucker, as any of the restored ichthyo-
Saurians and megatheriums of our muse
uns, seen through an inverted opera glass.
\ fly is an almost inexhaustible object of
interest, and we have to take him bit by bit,
he is SO large. His eye is Il brilliant Won
der Ikea large splendid carbuncle for color,
cut in Il million facets, each facet perfect
lens. One wonders much how the world
looks to the family of tiies-the butterfly,
the dragon-tiy, and the rest with their
strange complex eyes. These organs have
been prepared and used as lenses by scien-
fists, and they made one big soldier i'll his
regimentals look like whole army of pig
mics, for one thing. 1t does not follow that
the soldier would have multiplied himself
in that way to the fly owner of the eye, how
ever, though perhaps we shall never know
the truth until some fairy turns us into flies
ourselves.
We discover the most beautiful secrets in
regard to the structure of flowers, the nature
of seeds the cellular tissue of wood and
herbs and bark, if subject them to the
microscope, but it is tale that would take
COVER long" to tell, and, besides, deserves
far more detailed telling than any short
paper could aspire to. Then the beauty of
the forms of cryStaiS-the crystals of salt
and alum, the crystals OF the >now-must
be seen through Il microscope to he appre-
ciated, for by the aid of a microscope only
their perfect loneliness can be discovered.
and by its assistance we can watch these
and others beginning to form out of shape
less fluids, by the changeleSS laws which
even inanimate matter oheyS, into figures of
wonderful regularity and symmetry.
SO far we have given only Il hint of a 1.-THE
of the delight and instruction to be derived
by mere layman with the microscope.
b. ,.o,,lI b., t,ll in,
able book; and, after ALL such examinations
as we have described is nothing more than
play. \ great deal of hard work and i'm
portant work is done by microscopes
worthy of the name. The microscope is
Il delicate instrument. and demands period
of patient apprenticeship before its scientific
use can be really learned. You may hear :,
drop of blood described, and when you come
to look at it for yourself, you do not see any
of the remarkable things therein of which
you have been informed. Beginners have
laborcd over their specimens with very lit
tie result, when presently the instrument,
directed by skilled hand, and looked
through by a practirel eye, will tell Il diff
terent tale.
The physician is undoubtedly the man
most indebted 10 this searchcr-out of secrets
to-day, and through him all suffering hui
mainly unconsciously profits by its revela-
ton of the real structure and physiological
relations of the human body. His studies
i'll pathology (from a Greek word, pathos.
meaning sutfering), treating of the causes
of disease, have been aide;i to an almos: in
credible extent. The instrument is now i'll
dispenSabe for his scientific investigation.
\ great authority on this subject tells u>
that the human body is formed in all it,
parts of tiny, iniinitesmal cells, or that
which is derived from Them and that each
cell is the source of animal life an Thu
unit of our structure this little foundation
stone, this jiopf"sn As it is called, must h'
studied by the help Of the microscope be
fore men can really understand the law.
which govern anatomy and the structure of
the human body, or any portion of it
And, i'll the same way, it is not possible 10
understand the physiological action-that
is, the murual relations of the different
PARTS, and ;heir workings-unleSs we see
how each microscopic cell works separately
in this complicated and wonderful frame OF
ours The united action of an entire organ
like the heart, or the stomach, or the liver,
is only the result of all the single actions of
the tiny cells working together, as animated
by one will, in the beautiful harmony eS-
tablishcd by and flowing from a Divine or
dering
The branch which makes Il study of these
things by the aid of the microscope is called
hiStology, and II very important member OF
the learned college which includes the "cir-
Gle of the sciences ~ it has grown to be-
We naturally suppose, and in the medi-
cal systems of old times it was taken for
granted, that the body i'll state of health
and the deceased body exist under very
different conditions, that health and dis
ease are separated by Il great abyss; but
our new science has shown the doctors that
this is Il grave mistake. They know now
that the processes which take place in the
diseased body are only notifications or diff
terent forms of the same process i'll the body
in it's usual condition. The same laws OF
cell life hold good in either case The diff
ference is expressed by the great Bossuet
when he says, Every error is a truth
abused" There is au evident analogy here
between the natural and spiritual life.
The strong lens shows us the drop of
blood pressed from Il pin prick in the finger
ia, 4 a. Il
with multitude of globular cells, most OF
them of II yellowiSh tint, and some colorleSs.
These last originate in the spleen, or else
where, and the more unhealthy the blood
is, the greater proportion of white corpus
cles there will be, until at last the blood is
visibly changed By them.
Subjected to the action Of heat, move
ment begins among the cells, and they
dance about briskly, and some of them
change shape and assume variety of queer
grotesque forms. By the study Of these
blood cells the doctors are able to tell
great deal about diseases, especially malig-
nant fcverS, when the blood is much affect
ed, and a better mode of treatment is the
result.
Old blood stains can be identified as such
if certain microscopic crystals can he OBJ
tanned from them by the action of acid. \
secret confided to nature is sure to be in
faithful keeping, awaiting the full time to
come when all secrets shall be revealed, rs
all will he sooner or later.
by far the most thrilling experiment
know is the watching the blood flow through
i :.