Microscope Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/29
The historical microscope collection housed in the Moody Medical Library is considered one of the major collections of its type owned by an academic institution in the United States.
The collection consists of representative samples documenting the development of microscopy from the 18th through the first quarter of the 20th century. The work of more than 30 individual makers or firms is included.
The microscope collection dates from 1967, when the Library acquired 33 microscopes from Dr. John Bunyan (1907-1983) with a grant from the Moody Foundation of Galveston. A past president of the Royal Microscopical Society in London, and a collector, Dr. Bunyan provided additional instruments as well as partial cataloging for the collection in subsequent years. Of the 82 instruments, 60 percent are associated with him. The remaining consists of microscopes from the Departments of Anatomy and Pathology, gifts from former faculty and friends of the University, and a purchase of replica microscopes.
The collection consists of representative samples documenting the development of microscopy from the 18th through the first quarter of the 20th century. The work of more than 30 individual makers or firms is included.
The microscope collection dates from 1967, when the Library acquired 33 microscopes from Dr. John Bunyan (1907-1983) with a grant from the Moody Foundation of Galveston. A past president of the Royal Microscopical Society in London, and a collector, Dr. Bunyan provided additional instruments as well as partial cataloging for the collection in subsequent years. Of the 82 instruments, 60 percent are associated with him. The remaining consists of microscopes from the Departments of Anatomy and Pathology, gifts from former faculty and friends of the University, and a purchase of replica microscopes.
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Item 1.010(2012-02-07) Adams, George.The Cuff-type instrument is attached to the box-foot by a square pillar, which supports the body-tube, stage and the mirror. Focusing is by rackwork that moves the stage. The drawer includes accessories (objective lenses, Lieberkuhn reflector, fish plate, stage forceps, and brass slider.) The whole instrument fits into a pyramid-shaped mahogany case upon removing the body-tube. The instrument is very similar to the "Improved Double and Single Microscope," featured in Adams' Essays on the Microscope (1787). Signed: G. Adams No 60 Fleet Street London.Item 1.032(2012-02-07) Zeiss, Carl.The oldest Zeiss instrument in the collection is a small microscope with a horseshoe base and a round pillar. The body-tube is attached to the pillar by a short arm and focusing is by the screw on top of the pillar. A swinging mirror is attached to the bottom of the stage. The instrument has a mahogany box in which it lies sideways. Signed: 3973. C. Zeiss, Jena.Item 1.024(2012-02-07) Ross, Andrew.This compound monocular microscope is the earliest Ross instrument in the collection, and may be one of the four known to have survived. The limb, which supports the body-tube and stage, is attached to the pillar by a ball-and-socket joint. The stage carries a tubular column on its under surface, and the pillar sits on a flat tripod base. About 1835. Signed: Ross, London.Item 1.034(2012-02-07) Zeiss, Carl.The instrument sits on a horseshoe base and a slotted rectangular pillar supports the stage and tubular limb. Below the stage are a rotating double mirror, a swinging platform for the iris diaphragm (which moves on the platform by rackwork), and an Abbe condenser. The substage moves vertically by rackwork. It comes with a wooden carrying case. Signed C. Zeiss Jena 19146.Item 1.030(2012-02-07) Ross, Andrew.The binocular compound microscope is a variation on the Ross- Zentmayer instrument described above (Ross 5062). It features an A-shaped, tripod foot which supports the double pillars. The limb, attached to the pillars by trunnions, carries the rest of the parts of the microscope, with a rotating stage. It comes with a wooden case and accessories. Signed: Ross-5277. LondonItem 1.049(2012-02-07) Hartnack, Edmund.Similar in design to Oberhaeuser instruments with horseshoe foot, the microscope is supported by a round pillar attached to square stage. The body-tube moves by rack and pinion and is connected to the limb by a solid brass arm. The substage Abbe condenser swings on an axis. No carrying case and accessories. Signed on the tube: Dr. E. Hartnack Potsdam.Item 1.013(2012-02-07) Powell & Lealand.This instrument is one of the earlier achromatic microscopes produced by Powell & Lealand shortly after they formed their partnership in 1841. The instrument is supported by a double pillar and a flat tripod. The body-tube rests on the grooved limb, the coarse adjustment being by a rack-and-pinion system. The body and the limb can be rotated 90 degrees away from the stage. Edward Nelson believed that the most important part of this microscope was the introduction of trunnions that replaced the compass joint of earlier microscopes. Trunnions became common feature in microscopes produced in the second half of the 19th century. We believe this to be a rare instrument. Signed: Powell & Lealand Makers. London.Item 1.056(2012-02-07) Bryson, Robert.This all brass monocular microscope has a bent claw foot, a feature found in James Swift & Son instruments. The stage, attached to the base by trunnions, supports the tubular limb with an arm. The coarse focusing is by the draw-tube, and the fine focusing by the screw on top of the limb. A swinging mirror is attached to the tubular tailpiece. The small instrument was likely intended for use by students. No carrying case and accessories. Signed: Bryson, Edinburgh.Item 1.006(2012-02-07) Dixey, Charles W.This Gould-type microscope, designed by Charles Gould, was a popular field microscope that could easily be packed into its small wooden box. The body-tube has two parts (cylindrical and conical), and the stage moves along the pillar by a rack- and-pinion mechanism. Accessories include ivory slides, objective lenses, and stage forceps. Signed: C.W. Dixey, Optician to the Queen, New Bond Street London.Item 1.076(2012-02-07) Verick, Constant.Item 1.037(2012-02-07) Powell & Lealand.Based on a new model introduced in 1843, this all brass instrument rests on a tripod, with the limb moving on the trunnions and supporting the body-tube and stage. The model served as the basis of the company's instrument design through the rest of the century. It comes with a mahogany carrying case and accessories. Signed: Powell & Lealand, 4. Seymour Place, Euston Square, London. 1847.Item 1.050(2012-02-07) Ross, Andrew.The latest Ross microscope in the collection displays the square horseshoe base, typical of late-19th-century design found in German microscopes. The square pillars hold the trunnions to which the square stage is attached. The tubular limb, with an angular arm, supports the body-tube which has a triple nosepiece. The swinging substage consists of an Abbe condenser and an iris diaphragm, and a rotating mirror is attached to the tailpiece. Signed: Ross London 8635.Item 1.036(2012-02-07) Koristka, F.The horseshoe base and the pillar (cast as one piece) support the curved limb and the square stage. The body-tube moves by rackwork and has a triple nosepiece. The substage has a condenser and an iris diaphragm. It comes with a wooden carrying case and accessories. Signed F. Koristka Milano N. 30580.Item 1.029(2012-02-07) Ross, Andrew.The model is similar to an aquarium microscope advertised in the company's 1875 catalog. The flat tripod foot allows the instrument to be placed close to a tank. The square pillar has a rack-and-pinion mechanism by which the horizontal arm moves vertically. The binocular tube is attached to the end of the arm and moves horizontally by another rack-and-pinion mechanism. It has a wooden carrying case. Signed: Ross, London 4017.Item 1.014(2012-02-07) Powell & Lealand.The instrument, referred to as "Student's Compound Microscope" in Powell & Lealand catalogs, has a cast-iron foot and limb, painted black. It is also called the "iron" microscope. The limb supports the stage and the body-tube. The rack-and-pinion drive is located internally and operated by a brass knob. Signed: Powell & Lealand, London.Item 1.047(2012-02-07) Reichert, Carl.The horseshoe-shaped base is attached to a rectangular pillar that supports the stage and the limb with an arm. The body-tube moves on the rackwork and has a triple nosepiece. The swinging substage consists of a condenser and iris diaphragm, and moves vertically by rackwork. This microscope was purchased by William Gammon, M.D., a Professor of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, in Vienna in 1893 or 1894. It comes with a wooden carrying case and accessories (three cases for objectives). Signed: C. Reichert Wien No 15911.Item 1.025(2012-02-07) Ross, Andrew.The popular model features the Y-shaped, flat tripod base which became a characteristic of many Ross microscopes. The vertical flat pillars hold the limb by means of trunnions, and a bar attached to the top of the limb supports the optical tube, with a lever for fine focusing. The stage and the mirror are attached to the limb. This instrument is similar to the one described in the Frontispiece of John Quekett's Practical Treatise on the Use of the Microscope (1848). It comes with a wooden carrying case. Signed: A. Ross, London 563.Item 1.078(2012-02-07) Baker, Charles.Built to the popular Ross design, the microscope displays the typical Y-shaped foot, vertical pillars, boxy limb with a tubular tailpiece, the body-tube with a transverse arm that attaches to the limb. It comes with monocular as well as an interchangeable binocular body, with an adjustment mechanism by rackwork (with a single knob) in the front. It sits on a wooden platform. No case or accessories are included. Signed: Baker. 244. High Holborn, London.Item 1.046(2012-02-07) Leitz, Ernst.The horseshoe-shaped foot and the pillar are cast as one piece. The curved limb supports the square stage and the body-tube with a triple nosepiece. Coarse focusing is by rackwork and fine adjustment by micrometer screw. The substage, consisting of an Abbe condenser and iris diaphragm, moves vertically on rackwork. A rotating mirror is attached to the tailpiece. It comes with a wooden carrying case (covered with black buckram). The microscope belonged to Dr. Henry C. Hartman (1881-1963), Professor of Pathology and Dean at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Signed: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar No 238321.Item 1.038(2012-02-07) Jones, William.; Jones, Samuel.An example of the Jones's "Most Improved Compound Microscope," this instrument has a folding tripod base and a pillar that supports the limb by a compass joint. The limb carries the stage, condenser, mirror and body-tube. The stage moves by rackwork. Signed: W & S Jones. 30 Holborn, London.
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