Microscope, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, 1685-1725
Inv V07016 + V07015

The only occasion when Van Leeuwenhoek gave anything away about the making of his microscopes was in a letter of 1688. The letter concerned his observations on the pumping of the blood through the capillary vessels in the tail fin of the tadpole. He described what his microscope looked like and how he had made it from a number of metal plates. In addition he attached an extremely detailed drawing. What he did not describe was how he was able to position the tadpoles in the apparatus long enough to be able to make his observations. What he saw was quite sensational: countless very fine blood vessels ran through the tail fin, through which the blood corpuscles were pumped in the same rhythm as the creature's heartbeat. The sight filled Van Leeuwenhoek with joy, amazement and gratitude. And he regarded this discovery as one of his most important.