General Histology Beginnings

Three instruments—microscope, fluoroscope, and electron microscope—led to three anatomical discoveries: the cell, the malleability of bone, and the filament-organelle system in cells. Microscopes enlarge, fluoroscopes penetrate, and electron microscopes atomize. The invention of a microscope that could be used to evaluate human tissue specimens took many years from the simple beginnings of magnifiers. Once the microscope was developed, many scientists used it to uncover the secrets of human organs and neoplasms. Some disdained its utility. Sectioning and staining of specimens also became important.