Simple aquatic microscope that fits into and stands on a wooden case. It has a large stage, sub-stage mirror, and cylindrical stand, and is so designed that the observer can keep an eye on aquatic creatures as they move about. The form was introduced in the 1740s by the English optician, John Cuff, at the behest of a Swiss naturalist named Abraham Trembley. In 1752, Cuff modified the microscope for the naturalist, John Ellis. That instrument, known as “Ellis’s aquatic microscope” and made by others, remained popular for years.
Ref: Savile Bradbury, The Evolution of the Microscope (Oxford, 1967), pp. 97-98.
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