The "Peeping Tom of Delft"*
When a ball of molten glass is inflated like a balloon, a small droplet of the hot fluid collects at the very bottom the bubble. *Antonie van Leeuwenhoek used these droplets as microscope lenses to view the animalcules he found in water. Despite their crude nature, those early lenses enabled van Leeuwenhoek to describe an amazing world of microscopic life. Since then, many methods have been devised to enhance the ability to see cells and their organelles. Enhancements have been accomplished by creative microscope lens design or manipulation of the microscope's light path (Optical Enhancement). The most recent improvements come from manipulation of the raw microscope image by electronic means (Electronic/Digtal Enhancement).