J. J. Lister and the establishment of histology

Abstract

AMONG THE 1200 microscopes in the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, one stands out for its special importance in the history of microscopy and medicine.This is number 234/1949, which was made in 1826 by James Smith' to the design of Joseph Jackson Lister (1786-1869), father of the famous Lord Lister.The instrument was presented to the Museum by the Misses Lister, and its provenance is assured.J. J. Lister was a wine merchant who devoted his leisure hours to the improvement of the microscope.Before his work bore fruit, the poor performance of the instru- ment at high magnifications had two unfortunate results.Sometimes it was distrusted and not used for serious research even in those areas such as histology where it was obviously desirable, and sometimes it was used and its spurious results were accepted as correct.In the first category is Marie-Franqois-Xavier Bichat (1771-1802), who was instrumental in establishing what we now call histology as the basis of patho- logical processes, in place of gross anatomical changes which previously had been the basis of pathology.2However, he distrusted the microscope and never used it, preferring simple dissection and chemical tests.As an example of the second category there is Henri Milne-Edwards (1800-1885) whose 1823 paper on the structure of tissues3 described them all, regardless of origin, as being made up of globules about 1/300mm in diameter.Although he himself modified these conclusions shortly after- wards,4 this classic paper reports results which we now know to be due entirely to inadequate lenses on his microscope.Three main inadequacies are present in uncorrected lenses.These are chromatic and spherical aberrations, and coma.The first causes colour fringes round details of *Brian Bracegrdle, Ph.

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