Because when the first microscopes appeared sometime around 1590, they were marvels of science to be sure. Local records suggested a birthdate of 1580, but other dates given included 1585 and 1588. Today. Using the power fo his office, the Dutch ambassador instructed a local magistrate to begin an investigation. The use of substandard glass notwithstanding, a globe filled with water is at best a cumbersome and imprecise tool. Still, Lippershey received a sum of money for his work upon the requirement that he modify the device into a binocular arrangement. Thanks in part to Leeuwenhoek’s stubborn refusal to share the secret of making high powered microscopes, however, Plenciz couldn't offer any proof. Neurosurgeon Salary: How Much Do Medical Professionals Earn? Dinosaur Facts: the Fun, Interesting, or Downright Disgusting, Fun Facts About Florida That You Probably Did Not Know. During that time the microscope in use was the compound microscope, which was not effective in that it did not show detail or clarity on the objects being viewed. In... Access2knowledge brings you expert answers to your most pressing questions. Filled with an optimism bred from long, lonely hours reviewing old, dusty history books, I set out to uncover the truth. Microscope slides are small rectangles of transparent glass or plastic, on which a specimen can rest so it can be examined under a microscope. In 1762, another Italian physician, Marcus von Plenciz, attempted to revive the Germ hypothesis. Mostly, such views attracted nothing but scorn and contempt. Some Interesting Facts To Know. What are the Australian Inventions - Who Invented First, List of Inventors and Their Popular Inventions - Who Invented First, Inventor of Ouija Board - Who Invented First, Who invented Lingerie? Images of interest can be captured by photography through a microscope, a technique known as photomicrography. Although simple affairs -- no more than a glass sphere filled with water -- they were cheap enough to see widespread use. Germ theory states that microorganisms can cause disease. But the most significant scientific contribution stemmed from his observation of cell structure. How Long Does It Take To Become A Respiratory Therapist. This phenomenon intrigued and puzzled van Leeuwenhoek, which prompted him to collect fresh rainwater. In schools, students observe the cell structures of plants just as Hooke once did. His speculation failed to change the consensus that disease sprang from miasma. However, the earliest microscopes seem to have been made by Dutch opticians Hans Janssen and his son Zacharias Janssen and by Dutch instrument maker Hans Lippershey (who also invented the telescope) about 1590. Few understood just how much of the world hid from us. Magnifications of between 3x and 10x were possible using this device. By the late 13th century, not long after Bacon began to explore the science of optics, the first spectacles started to appear in northern Italy.