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.
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.