Accession No
6788
Brief Description
microscope, used by Harry Godwin, by Ernst Leitz, German, mid-20th Century
Origin
Germany; Wetzlar
Maker
Ernst Leitz
Class
microscopes
Earliest Date
1947
Latest Date
1986
Inscription Date
Material
metal; glass; plastic
Dimensions
width 229mm; depth 340mm; height 435mm
Special Collection
Cambridge Quaternary Research Collection
Provenance
Donated by the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. Used by Sir Harry Godwin, founder and first director of the Subdepartment of Quaternary Research (SDQR)
Inscription
'ERNST LEITZ WETZLAR
GERMANY
C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.B [Cambridge University Botanical School Quaternary Research]
1.25×' (on binocular eyepiece mount)
'LEITZ WETZLAR GERMANY PERIPLAN NF 10×' (on right eyepiece)
'LEITZ WETZLAR GERMANY PERIPLAN NF 10× M' (on left eyepiece)
'Leitz WETZLAR GERMANY 589992' (on base of stage)
'C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.4.' (on side of neck)
'C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.' (on base)
'Dept Geography PASS MS-R32-166
Date 30/01/10
Retest 30/01/11
Name ARH FULL' (sticker on front)
'ELECTRICAL SAFETY TEST
PASSED
APP ID 03513 BY RB
TEST DATE
Dec 2018 NEXT TEST DUE N/A
Cambs Test 01638 742934' (sticker on side)
'C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.(A)
LEITZ WETZLAR GERMANY
D62114
402a
Achr 0.90' (on condenser)
'ERNST LEITZ WETZLAR GERMANY' (on stage)
'Leitz WETZLAR GERMANY
C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.4.
A323237 170/0.17 Apo Oel 90/1.32' (on objective lens 1/3)
'Leitz WETZLAR GERMANY
C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.4.
B28518 170/- Apo 12.5/0.30' (on objective lens 2/3)
'Leitz WETZLAR GERMANY
C.U.BOT.SCH.Q.R.4
B28098 170/0.11 - 0.23 Apo 40/0.95' (on objective lens 3/3)
Description Notes
Microscope, by Leitz Wetzlar, German, mid-20th Century.
This is a sturdy microscope, black with silver details, with a wide base and binocular eyepieces. The base is roughly rectangular, though with rounded edges. On the front is a switch, a push-button, and a black plastic screw cover concealing a fuse. On the top of the base, next to the aperture for the lamp, is a gauge labelled "V" (presumably for voltage) and four metal levers. Rising from the base is the curved neck of the microscope, which features a broad, flat stage, adjustable in three axes with knurled knobs. The knobs on the right and left side of the neck are equivalent and have graduations around the knob, which line up with an indicator on the microscope's neck. Graduations on the stage (marked in mm) line up with a Vernier gauge to allow finer adjustments. The lens for focussing the light is also adjustable, up and down, and a disc parallel to the stage allows one of five different apertures to be selected for the condenser, changing the amount of light hitting the slide. On the stage, a spring-loaded arm keeps slides in place.
There are three objective lenses in a cluster that can be rotated and removed individually. The lenses are marked: "A323237 170/0.17 Apo Oel 90/1.32"; "B28518 170/- Apo 12.5/0.30"; and "B28098 170/0.11 - 0.23 Apo 40/0.95". The last of these three is itself adjustable. Each of the binocular eyepieces can be focussed individually.
Coming from the rear of the microscope is an electrical plug.
This is a "comparator" microscope, and is compatible with a bridge device, allowing two people to view the same specimen simultaneously, or to allow one person to view two specimens simultaneously. (see also entry Wh.6793)
References
Events
Description
A large part of Godwin’s work involved comparing his collected pollen specimens with samples held in the archive to try and identify the species that it came from. To do this, he used these two microscopes [Wh.6786 and Wh.6788]
The device bridging the two [Wh.6793.1] allows a single viewer to look at two specimens simultaneously and compare them easily.
Another model of bridge [Wh.6793.2] would allow two viewers to both look at the same specimen, which was very useful for teaching.
Harry Godwin
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Sir Harry Godwin was a botanist and ecologist who founded the Subdepartment of Quaternary Research (SDQR) within the Department of Geography. As a child, he was a dedicated boy scout, which possibly helped develop his taste for outdoor work. He was interested in a wide range of subjects starting from the time he was at school, and never let his curiosity go unsatisfied. At Clare College, he studied botany, geology, and chemistry, and was encouraged by his supervisor to study fungi and plant diseases, too. After he had graduated and began his own research, he was torn between plant physiology and ecology. He picked both.
Godwin worked to combine botany with ecology, studying plants in the field rather than under laboratory conditions.
In addition to founding the SDQR in 1948, he served as its director until 1966, and he was also the Professor of Botany at Clare College between 1960 and 1968. Even after he retired from academia, he wasn’t idle. He threw himself back into his field work and research, and published several books which are considered foundational to the subject of Quaternary research.
Quaternary Research
---
The Quaternary Period is the period from about 2.58 million years ago up to the present. Quaternary Research, then, is the study of this period: it’s the study of the rocks, plants and animals found in this time period, and how they have changed over time. The Quaternary period is also known as the Ice Age due to the presence of permanent ice sheets at the poles, and it is characterised by alternating glaciations and interglacial periods.
Because the goal of the subject is to understand everything about the period, Quaternary Research requires contributions from scientists in many different fields: from zoologists and botanists to geologists and physicists, and more besides. Quaternary research is particularly focussed on the environment and ecosystems, and changes in the climate. The field is especially important for understanding the impact that humans are having on the environment. It’s also important for archaeology, providing a reference point when studying human activity.
The objects in this case represent the various stages of research, from field work, to cataloguing, to intensive laboratory study, but this is only a small part of what Quaternary Research is all about.
18/05/2023
Created by: Ewan Wilson on 18/05/2023
FM:47613
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