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Creation Date
1950
Description
Joseph Blum with the Servall microtome, ca.1953
This is a revised version of the Porter-Blum microtome that could cut sections from 25 to 500 nanometers. It was developed by Blum in 1953, and then made commercially available through Ivan Sorvall. The Porter-Blum microtome proved more reliable and precise than its predecessor and allowed for electron microscope images of greater quality. Interestingly, the instrument was never patented and thus a profit never collected, despite its commercial popularity. Porter later explained that the work of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, “was operated for the benefit of humanity,” a sentiment in keeping with the University’s motto.
Courtesy of The Rockefeller Archive Center
Keywords
microtome, Joseph Blum, electronics laboratory