The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-06
THE ULTIMATE ATOM.
Some Facts About Microscopic Investigation
The Instrument in Medicine.

"Yes, there are a number OF erroneous impress
sions about the revelations of the microscope"
said Dr. Henry Jameson, well known mcros-
copist in answer TO question by the reporter.
THAT of the drop of water you speak of is per
haps the most common. There is general be-
lief that all water abOunds in infusore, when
the truth is that pure water is free from them.
Water that has stood in the sun exposed to the
air and has MOSES in it is full of them, Impure
water has thousand varieties of microscopic
animals. There is also an exaggerated idea of
the number and size of the ducts found in the
human skin. These ducts more numerous in
some portions of the body than in others. They
are found more numerous and conspicuous in the
ends Of the fingers and they are large and con-
spicuous in the armpits and about the soles of
the feet, Now these cannot appear numerous
under microscope, because under a high mag
infer one, perhaps, in the field examined
could see the ends of only three or
four of these sweat ducts. Another mistake is to
suppose that all that is necessary is to enlarge
the object examined. whereas the microscopic
seeks to resolve and define the structure OF the
object 1t isn't OF much Importance that the
glass be high magniiier as that the glass has
clear, defining power. Some microscopes merely
enlarge the object, and, without defining its
structure, blur it, 1t is not infrequently the
case that low-powe glass will enable a student
to learn more of the structure of a tissue than
one that may have double its power.
Mr.. Anderson, of Chicago. a Baptst minis
ter and, no doubt, an excellent man, said in IL
sermon recently that he had seen a chestnut
tree, perfect in all its parts, in a chest
nut, by the aid of a microscope. Now,
he drew on his Imagination TO see
that tree in the chestnut, Loose statements of
this character from the pulpit widen the breach
between science and religion. He could not see
i'll any seed what he alleges that he saw. 1t is
hot true OF the embryo in either the animal or
the vegetable kingdom.
''3ome people think they could see the ulti-
mate atom II they had IA glass strong enough.
or course that could not be- Besides, they
should take into account that the glass itself
has it's ultimate atom, aud that would interfere
with the survey. There's another fallacy that
extends even to the educated, that microsco-
pist can, by ocular Investigation, determine the
presencs of poison"
HAS the microscope" inquired the reporter,
lazy great value in medicinel"
$50 far rs degenePatige diseases OF the kidneys
are Concerned, it is almost infallible. In yarons
kinds of skin diseases an accurate diagnosis may
be made by means of the mier oseope alone. Ii
is valuable to determine the different forms of
tissue grOwths of morbid or diseased nature,
aud is of great help in confirming the cDnclu-
slons arrived at by other symptoms. do hot
believe that degenerative kidney diseases are OF
so much greater prevalence than they were
few years ago, but they seem so now, as many
physicians use the microscope and the glass re-
veals the disease where without its use, it mig
pass under some other name"