Microscopy is the science of producing and observing images of objects that cannot be seen by the unaided eye. A microscope is an instrument that produces the image. The primary function of a microscope is to resolve, that is distinguish, two closely spaced objects as separate. The secondary function of a microscope is to magnify. Microscopy has developed into an exciting field with numerous applications in biology, geology, chemistry, physics, and technology.

Since the time of the Romans, it was realized that certain shapes of glass had properties that could magnify objects. By the year 1300, these early crude lenses were being used as corrective eyeglasses. It wasn't until the late 1500s, however, that the first compound microscopes were developed.

Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was the first to publish results on the microscopy of plants and animals. Using a simple two-lens compound microscope, he was able...