Darwin's long-lost microscope

https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2021/dec/16/darwins-lost-microscope-the-auction-of-a-history-making-box-of-brass-video

Charles Darwin's long-lost microscope is auctioned. Not very much about the instrument itself, but some lovely close-ups.

I would love to make a copy of this, but know nothing about microscopes. Does anyone know of a book or a set of plans for something like this?

John.

Thanks for the link, John

Making a replica [of the mechanics at least] should not be beyond the ability of a ‘Model Engineer’

… I agree, it would be a lovely project.

MichaelG.

Thanks Michael. I wouldn't be intimidated by the machining, but I would definitely need some drawings! It's a shame the video didn't mention the builder, especially as his name is beautifully engraved on the instrument.

John.

Look here : **LINK**

http://www.antique-microscopes.com/photos/Cary-Gould_pocket_microscope.htm

MichaelG.

From the link within that page :

.

.

Edit: __ See also :

https://golubcollection.berkeley.edu/19th/47/GouldBook.html

Edit: __ There is a copy of the eighth edition of that book available on  ‘Google Books’

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/12/2021 17:49:20

Wow! That's amazing, thanks Michael!

What a fabulous instrument!

John.

Fantastic historical item of national importance and interest -- my only hope it that it was sold to someone in the UK -- really should have been purchased for the nation ! The provenance is also amazing.

John

Thanks for posting about the microscope. On a side note, for those interested in Darwin's writings about the origins of species, there is a fascinating two volume set of books by Dennis Hurd, M.A. titled " A Picture Book of Evolution " (1907).

For those curious about anatomy and evolution visit the Hunterian Museum (John Hunter collection) at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. It's currently closed for rebuilding works until 2023 but used to be free access to the public on 1 or 2 days of the week. Collections of human and nonhuman specimens - cool things like wax injected lung vessels with the tissue dissolved, specimens of animal gestation through the stages, scarab beetles - all sorts of things. It’s one modest room but crammed with specimens on display. I took one of my daughters there a couple of times. The receptionist was cheerful enough to give us some paper and pencils so we could sit and sketch a specimen or two.

pgk

About 40 years back someone passed to me a list of 'model engineering' drawings which, If i recall accurately, were published by MAP.......I had no interest in model steam engines at th time and still don't, but there among the pages of drawings for meaningless (to me) bits was 'a research microscope' which did catch my eye...........

When I was in junior school we briefly had a fantastic lady teacher who gave us an incredible afternoon disecting some flowers from the school garden called 'flags'.......she showed us the various parts and what they did and the whole class was totally absorbed, and so were various parents who came to find out why their kids had not come home!

The next week she melted glass stirring rod on her desk using a bunsen and stretched the glass before our amazed eyes!.....then she snapped of the thin filament and melted the end into a blob........this became a very servieable microscope lens! She made one for everybody and we got busy gluing the lenses between two small bits of carboard. The we really got to look at the bits of flags!

I kept my homemade microscope until quite recently..........

The earliest microscopes, as used by Hooke and others, towards the late 1600s, were made in the way Bob describes, except that instead of a blob of glass, the scientists used a spherical diamond. This had the advantage of a higher 'refractive index' - it bent the light more effectively - so you got more magnification than with glass.

Quite how they managed to grind their diamonds into spheres was not explained ... They can't have melted them into blobs.

Cheers, Tim

A youtube vid of spherical glass microscope

pgk