Preview
Creation Date
1940
Description
Claude-Blum ultramicrotome, accession no. 197
Courtesy of the Merrill W. Chase Historic Instrument Collection
In the 1940s scientists first looked at biological material with electron microscopes. To prepare specimens so that they could be viewed clearly, Rockefeller researches developed microtomes that could cut slices as thin as one-tenth of micron. Albert Claude worked with instrument maker Josef Blum to build this ultramicrotome. The specimen was mounted on a turning disk, which advanced toward a stationary knife. The sections were collected on the surface of a water-filled trough in front of the knife. (late 1940s)
Photo by Lubosh Stepanek
Keywords
Albert Claude, Josef Blum, microtome, exhibit, library