Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-11
MEETING OF MIcRosCoPIsTs.
The First Of the Great Series OF National
Scientific Conventions.


The First Of the Great Series Of National
Scientific Conventions.
DR. JOHN 9. BILLINGS ENTERTAINING AND m
srRUcTrvE ADDRESS OF wELcoME-orHER
pleasant SPEECHES MADE-REPoRTs OF COM
MTrTEEs-PRoaRAM FOR FUTURE MEETINGS.
The great series of national scientific con-
ventions that will last well on into September
began this morning. The first of the societies
to meet was the American. Society Of Micro
scopists. 1t began a four days session this
morning in the medical department Of the Co.
lumbian University, 1926 H street.
The main lecture room on the ground foor
OF the medical building is the one used for the
meetings of the microscopists. 1t is rather q
dark room and was as cool place as there was to
be found today. But still no one asked to have
the steam heat turned on to exc out the warmth
from Soils rays. 1t was the fourteenth annual
meeting of the society
Ihe arrangements for the convention have
all been in the hands of the Microscopical
Society OF this city, and all the preliminary
work OF arranging for q successful convention
was well done.
The officers Of the American Society Of Mi
SroscoPists are as follows: President: Dl.
Prof E. ". Claypole, Akron, Ohio, and Prof.
NJ. ID. Ewell, Chicago; secretary, DR.. VIM. H.
Seaman, Washington; treasurer, @. @. Miller,
Pittsburg.
When President James called the society to
order this morning, q few minutes after 10
O'Clock, there was very fair attendance Of
members in the hail. wearing the handsome
badges Of the society. The badge Is Of white
silk with the title of the society printed upon it
In letters OF gold. In the center is a fac
simile OF large microscope surrounded by the
words "Microscopical Society Of Washington
The meeting was formally opened with prayer
by Rev. r. s. L. Wood, a young and eloquent
minister. In his brief prayer Mr.. Wood asked
for blessing and inspiration for the society.
DIR. BILLINGS ADDRESS
DR.. John s. Billings, U. s. A., made the ad-
dress Of welcome, the principal address Of the
day. His remarks were largely devoted to an
account of the growth of the interest in the
microscope in the government department and
was heard with the closest attention. Among
other things DIR. Billings said:
The president ladies and gentlemen: II IL
my pleasant duty this morning to bid you well
come to Washington and to say to you that you
are to make yourselves very much at home
here. Washington, as the capital of the coun-
try, is, in fact, the natural and proper home Of
all national associations, and they are begin
ming to discover this, for the number of such
the last twenty years this city has become not
only one of the most beautiful cities in the
world, but has become one of the great scien-
tlfic and literary centers of this country.
The needs of different departments Of
the government for accurate and precise infor-
nation upon many subjects connected with
their work have brought together here in the
different bureaus many men specially trained
in modern methods Of investigation and re-
search, each working in some particular line
and more or less OF an expert upon some one
particular subject, yet also interested in the
general progress Of knowledge and the results
obtained by his feilow-workers Hence it il
that our local scientific societies are numerous,
well attended and have an abundant supply Of
material to interest their members, more 90,
probably, than the majority Of local societies In
other and larger cities.
THE LOCAL SOCIETY.
Among these associations we number an act
i've and fourishing microscopical society, for
although the government has no department or
bureau exclusively devoted to this subject, yet
in almost every department and in many Of
the bureaus there are and must Be men Who
are familiar with the use OF the microscope or
they could not answer tho questions which are
liable to come before them at any mo-
ment. You may be sure, therefore, that
always find an appreciative and in
terested audience for It's papers aud discus
sions here. Of the numerous bureaus Of the
government which make use OF aud are in
terested In the microscope and microscopic
technique there Is none which makes more
constant use OF this method OF investigation
and none which in times past has done more to
stimulate improvements in microscopy, than
the medical department Of the army Including
the Army Medical Museum.
The improvements in microscopic objsctiyes
which have been made during the last thirty
ha haap In
ulated, suggested aud given definite direction
by the application of phOto-micrography to the
testing of such Objectives to resolving power
and iatness Of field under different conditions Of
illumination.
photography, with high powers. be-
came practicable and useful process when the
use Of direct sunlight as a means of illumina-
ton was introduced. This was first done in
this country by Prof. o. N. Rood Of Columbia
College, N. Y, in 1S606l 1t was first srfk-
gested and applied in this country to histolog-
ical preparations in the spring of 1864 in q
military hospital here in Washington by two
assistant surgeons in the army, Jas. William
Thomas and William Il. Norris both now we'll
known Ophthalmologists in Philadelphia. These
gentlemen brought the results obtained by
them to the attention Of DR.. j. j. Woodward of
the army, who was engaged in the collection of
materials for the preparation of the medical
history Of the war and the formation of an
army medical museum, and by his direc-
ton the process was taken up, extended
and improved by DIR. Edward Curtis, now of
New York, who was then engaged in making
microscopic preparations to illustrate the path.
illogical histology Of certain camp diseases.
Subsequently DR.. Woodward himself took the
matter up, studying especially the optical COM
binations and technique of illumination
adapted to secure the best results, and apply
ing these methods as a means Of minutely and
accurately comparing the powers and perform
ances Of different objectives, and Of making of
such performances records whose accuracy
could not be questioned and which could
readily be compared with each other.
DR. wooDwARDs TESTS.
"When DR.. Woodward was doing the greater
part Of his testing work homogeneous INNER
sion objectives were unknown, and with hiRh
powers the proper adjustment Of the cover
correction was matter of the greatest i'm.
portance to secure the best results, and was
also often . matter of very considerable dim
Guilty. DIR. Woodward's skill and patience in
making these adjustments and in the regulation
OF the illumination we're unrivaled. He often
spent half an hour and more in securing a
single cover correction, and the makers of
microscopic objectives, both in this country
and abroad. came to recognize the fact that he
was not only absolutely impartial in his tesla.
but would get from each lens the very best
that they were glad to send him lenses for trial
and to obtain his suggestions a. to the possible
means Of improvement, which In this way was
strongly stimulated.
Since his death microscopic and photomicro-
graphic work has been carried on steadily in
the museum. but on somewhat different lines.
consisting mainly in the practical application