The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-07
VIEWED SLIDES
MIcroscopicaI Society's
Meeting;
An Address Delivered by the Newly
Elected President, DR..
Sloggett.


Saturday night it's first regular meet
ing under the new organization. and
listened to the first annual address bv
the newly elected president. Some fif-
teen or twenty in all were present, in
Guiding visitors.
The reading of DR.. Sloggett's address
was the main thing, this was followed
by an exhibition of slides, which were
of more than usual interest. Mr.. E.
c. Shorey showed some double stain
slides OF tuberculosis. DR.. Sloggett and
Mr.. Arthur tombstone had prepared
seven slides of lepro baciIli from ma
terial obtained from Molokai. The
slides We're cut twenty microns in
thickness, about 1250th of an inch
and appeared red on a blue back
ground. Typical punches appeared in
the cells and also distributed through
out the section; and they were magni-
ned 1000 diameters. They will be for
warded to Major Potter, together with
about 100 others.
Or. Garv1n recently furnished Mr.
tombstone with portion of the in
testlne OF man who died of typhoid
fever, to see if alterations could be
detected. DIR. Sloggett and Mr.. john
stone failed to find germs in the intes-
tine, but they did find adhering to the
sides five different species of diatoms
peculiar to Nuuanu reservoir. The
doctors considered this significant. 1t
points to the immediate necessity of
hltering all drinking water. The man
may have contracted typhoid from
Nuuanu water or he may not.
DR.. Sloggett was asked to repeat his
address before the next meeting of the
Medical Association, and the members
OF the Microscopical Society were in
vited to be present.
The next meeting of the Society win
occur next month, and meetings will
be monthly thereafter. Later on the
Society expects to enter into micro
photography. 1t will devote itself
largely to bacteria, perhaps also doing
a little in botany. 1t intends to extend
Its membership through the Islands.
and it's influence through the United
States, and to make collections from
all parts of the Islands.
| Professor Townsend hopes to extend
the use of the microscope among the
public school teachers. This is likely
| to be brought up In the coming sum-
mer Normal School.
DIR. Sloggett spoke Of the immense
amount of use to which the microscope
is put in these days, in machine shops,
on the farm, in medicine, and in the
detection of authorizations in foods. A
| microscope of very ordinary capacity
at once multiplies our powers of. sight
| by ten, twenty, or even a hundred.
! while those of the best grade and finish
| enable us to see things with a clear
ness and keenness which as compared
| with the unaided eye are as many
thousands to ne. The exquisite beauty
of form which is characteristic of most
of the objects with which the micro
| scopist concerns himself can be fully
! appreciated only by those who have
! seen them. Most other instruments
when they have been once exhibited
| with their slides and fixtures lose their
interest, while for the microscope a
few fibres of wool from the carpet, a
| few grains of sand from the seashore,
| or handful of flowers from the field
yields objects of surprising beauty.
Everything in nature and in art NAV
be subjected to inspection by it, and
! Will then disclose new beauties and
fresh sources of knowledge. Under 1t
the point Of the finest cambria needle
Inks like crowbar grooved and seam
ed with scratches; the eye of the fly is
seen to consist of thousands of eyes
and the dust on the butterf1y's wing
appears to be what it really is-scales
laid on with the regularity of shingles
on house. To prepare these simple
objects requires no great skill and no
elaborate apparatus.
1t has been calculated that between
the elephant, as representing the
largest animal known, on the one hand
and the most minute living creature
yet discovered, on the other, the mid
die position as regards bulk between
the largest and the smallest would he
that of'an insect the size of a common
mouse fly. Surely we know only half
OF creation if we ignore all below this
bulk, and it is by the aid of the r,icro-
scope that we are able to view this less
bulky but perhaps the most beautiful
half of creation"