Microscopy

Microscopy

There are many different forms of microscopy but the one most commonly employed is “brightfield” microscopy where the specimen is illuminated with a beam of light that passes through it (as opposed to a beam of electrons as in electron microscopy). The general requirements for a specimen to be successfully examined using brightfield microscopy are:

·         That the cells and other elements in the specimen are preserved in a “life-like” state (this process is called “fixation”)

·         That the specimen is transparent rather than opaque, so that light can pass through it

·         That the specimen is thin and flat so that only a single layer of cells is present

·         That some components have been differentially coloured (stained) so that they can be clearly distinguished.