National Taiwan University Hospital has a collection of microscopes from many different eras, from the Japanese colonial period to the present. These microscopes are very important to our research in pathology and histology, helping us perform pathological diagnosis and tissue identification.

The invention of the microscope dates back to 1590, when it was invented by Dutch spectacle maker Zacharias Janssen . The earliest microscopes could magnify objects three to nine times. Later, Robert Hooke and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek improved the microscope and began to use it to observe microorganisms, making the microscope widely used in scientific research.

There are many types of microscopes, such as light source monocular microscopes, binocular microscopes, electron microscopes, laser scanning microscopes, etc. This Leitz microscope was donated by Professor Tsai, KehSung. It was originally owned by a Japanese physician. Later, Professor Tsai’s father bought the microscope after the end of World War II and passed it on to Professor Tsai. In addition, this microscope was made in Germany in 1906. It has a simple design without too many complicated adjustment knobs. The focus adjustment wheel is located at the upper end of the cantilever and is a golden umbrella-shaped disk. It is small, exquisite and elegant in appearance and fully functional.