During the 18th and 19th centuries, the microscope went through a time of several mechanical improvements that increased the stability and facilitated a smooth focus and magnification. Among other things developed during this time to improve the microscope was the creation of microscope stages and slides in order to place and secure the sample to be examined. Also, the development of objective lenses improved and controlled the magnification and resolution of the sample. All these mechanical improvements were added in conjunction with the new sampling techniques that include the addition of water and chemicals to enhance the view of the sample, as well as to stain the sample lead to the production of a high quality clear image. The ability of this new microscope to create such images caught the attention of the scientific community and society in general.
The microscope became very popular once again, but this time it underwent a high-volume, low-cost, mass production. The microscopes were still popular in the early 1900’s. There was not much change in the fundamental basics of the microscopes during this time, however there was a standardization of the parts as a result of the high demands of supplies during the World War I. Among the first standardizations, we find that most microscopes were made out of cast-iron with a blackened finish and the eyepiece had been standardized into a short tube of 23mm diameter. There were many varieties of microscope manufactured during the 1900’s, but most of them had the same general parts as seen in the picture to the left. In the 20th century new developments and improvements have rendered the discoveries of the 19th century to be very basic. The new microscopes are not only able to use light as a way of reflecting the image of the sample, but they are more versatile and capable of using electrons of high resolution power to examine a sample and reproduce its image. The versatility of the microscopes allows one to observe a sample in a 3-dimensional fashion rather than on a flat pain like the conventional microscopes. Also, the magnification power of these new microscopes is incredible; they can easily reach the 200,000x, or 10,000 times more than the earliest microscopes.