Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-15
ONE DROP OF WATER,
A Subject of Sufficient Importance to
Engage for Weeks
THE MICROSCOPISTS ATTENTION
The Difficulties lie Encounters and the
Strange Facts He Learns.
SMALL LAKES UNDER A MICROSCOPE

AT different times within the past fey
months The DISPATCH has presented toit
readers illustrations of the disease germ
and other contaminations found in South
drawn after great study and research. T
the uninitiated it is doubtful if any idea wa
conveyed of the work and hours of tim
these illustrations and their explanation
represented. In this regard it is onl,
necessary to state as starter that all of DR.
Edgar A. Mundorfss spare moments, oftel
extending far into the night, were spen
for over three weeks in studying the drop
OF water from Beck's Run schindery giver
him for analysis by THE DISPATCH. I
took all of this study before he could lay
bare to public gaze drop of water in it,
true light and from scientific standpoint
Again, many readers were perhaps led tc
believe that each illustration was of drop
whereas, it was only picture of a one
thousandth of a drop. 1t would then be
possible for one drop of water to contain
1000 of such disease germs as were shown to
exist by the illustrations. A drop of water
| 10 d WoIlu VI Ille VI Wulcu lew uaft
knowledge.
EXPLORING A DROP OF WATER.
With this fact before bim DISPATCH
man was led to visit the Office of DR.. Mum
| dorff and rather startle him by asking,
"How do you make microscopic analysis
of drop of water? Tell me the process
from beginning to end"
The doctor at first refused, partly from the
magnitude of such a task ard again from
a stronger objection, that of professional
| etiquette, which is the obstacle the news
paper men meet when seeking to interview
any physician of good standing. But as a
continuation OF the other work done by him,
he could hardly refuse, and at last pulled off
his coat and dictated the following:
1.-THE microscope bears the same relation
to the universe of the infinitely little as the
telescope to the universe of the infinitely
great. Associated with the telescope, if
asked to what kind of instruments and
degree of magnitying power is necessary to
view the heavens with, the astronomer
would reply that the question covers too
much space. 1t would imply the power of
using an instrument Of given amplitude,
and without any changes in its ad-
justment of exploring the heavens from
depth to depth. Such with astronomers is
painstaking experience, associated with GER
tain mental aptitudes that to revolve a
single star into proper distinctness, with the
varying minor details connected with that
resolving, it not only requires an instru-
ment specially adapted to the work in hand,
but one that he must know how, bv previous
experiences and failures to adjust to the
right focus.
DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY
"The same difficulties that beset the
astronomer beset in somewhat modified
sense, the microscopic. He must be per-
fectly familiar with the instrument he has
chosen for the special work in hand, and
know how to bring out its powers so as not
to lead him to false conclusions. A drop OF
water, for instance, considered as
minute sphere, would require for its
general examination an instrument of
low magnjfying power, and then the OBJ
server would simply see a mass Of fluid con-
tanning various small bodies. Ii he were
not an experienced hand with his instru-
all that was in it.
"That drop of water which we have now
discovered with its small bodies, as seen by
us under low power of the microscope, has
simply revealed the coarsest and least val
liable of its contents, from scientific point
of view. The view would be defective and
the conclusions drawn would be entirely
wrong. 1t would be defective, first, in that
the observer would not know whether he
had his instrument in focus or not, or
whether he saw things under his instrument
as they really are.
EFFECT OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS.
"He did not calculate on the far-reaching
fact that whether the mass of matter is as
large as a star or so small as to require the
very highest powers of magnifcation known
to mau to reveal it, the same physical CON-
ditions govern it. One of these is light, and
its corelative is shadows. A small body
could be seen in veil of shadows which
distorted its true physical appearance, as
we'll as the moon under an eclipse. 1t will
then be seen that what the observer, with
his low power microscope thought he saw
was not the true images OF the things them
selves. Right here is one OF the difficulties
of making an analysis of drop OF water,
unless the observer is prepared to correct all
mistakes by knowledge of how to adjust
his instruments. The difficulty of light and
shadows in seeing things as they really are
not increased immensely with the increase
inthe magnifying powers of the microscope.
without a previous knowledge of the
things sought for, and known by previous
experiment under different powers Of the
microscope, the inexperienced observer
would be led astray by slight adjustment
of the focus. An object that has a square
or irregular form may be made to appear
round, colored with various tints and wholly
unlike ITSELF Therefore, when we come to
view minute bodies, such as bacteria,
which may range anywhere from one-ive
hundredths to thirty-thousandths of an inch
l. l,1xI,
task becomes of great difficulty, indeed.
THAT drop of water of which we have
Just spoken, under the lenses we are accus-
toned to use would be spread out over the
space of small lake; and within that drop
of water would be revealed little world of
living forms Of the most varying and unique
description. The putrefactive bacteria
that occur in our river water
may be satisfactorily studied under
power that will increase their dimensions
600 or 700 times. The more dangerous
bacteria of disease cannot be studied with
any satisfaction at all under magnifying
powers that do not run up 1000 times and
frequently beyond. And here other Difficult
alysis.
RESEMBLANCE OF BACTERIA.
"Many forms of bacteria resemble each
other, and that resemblance, in some in
stances, becomes so striking as to lead
astray the mind of one that is not careful. |
The minute vegetable growths are nearly as
colorless as the water ITSELF If they are
living they would be found to constantly |
appear and disappear in the field of vison.
Having thus before you the pursuit of dis
ease germs so small that it requires the |
highest powers of the microscope to reveal |
uhem Won will find new difficulties perpetu-
ally arise to prevent you from identifying |