San Francisco Microscopical Society Volume 4, #2 April 2009 “...I have come across SFMOMA exhibit: Brought to Light: Annual Treasurer’s among the scientists and Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900 Report Accepted By curators that the right way By Linda Wraxall SFMS Board to die is slumped in front of the microscope at an ex- tremely old age. In the right The recent exhibit at Lange and Alfred Stieglitz, to Unlike the national econo- hand the quill pen will just SFMOMA called “Brought to name but a few. my and the travails of the Light - Photography and the have scratched out the last Science, and in partic- banks and over-extended description of a huge and Invisible 1840-1900” was a masterly study of the scientific ular physics, was advancing in homeowners, the financial complex group of organ- great strides and most educat- spirit that pervaded those status of the San Francisco isms. The old boy or girl ed people were interested in years. The power of photog- Microscopical Society is will have a vague smile up- raphy to make science visible finding out more about the on that wrinkled but deeply played an increasingly im- world they lived in. It became sound and well supervised th commonplace by the 1860s to distinguished face: a Job portant role during the 19 cen- by our four-member tury and contributed significant- find microscopes in upper class board. As treasurer, it is well done.”(1) pp290 homes in Europe where they ly to the development of the my pleasure to make this medical sciences. To demon- were used for both entertain- strate this, the museum had ment and education. Once pho- edited report to the mem- hung the walls of more than six tography developed beyond the bership. (1) Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret rooms with photographic prints. daguerreotype, people began Life of the Natural History Museum, to find ways to make images of When distributed to the board Richard Fortey, 2008. You will find They consisted of an enormous what they could see with micro- members, this report was ac- several quotations in this issue from variety of subjects, ranging this interesting book describing this from the very small as seen scopes and telescopes. companied by the following famous British Natural History muse- through a microscope to the documents: um. Astronomy provided very far as seen through a tele- the starting point and the exhi- 2008 Guaranty Bank Ac- scope. There were also pic- bition and discussions of pic- tures of electricity and magnetic tures of the moon and the sun’s count Register of In- P lease send to: fields, X-rays, ghosts, and mo- surface helped to secure the come and Expendi- [email protected] short ac- tion studies, culminating in sev- interest and enthusiasm of the tures counts of what you have ob- eral more rooms showing the general public. However it was served through your micro- works of early photographic the photomicrographs of scien- 2008 Treasurer’s Cash scope. pioneers like Ansel Adams, tists like Auguste-Adolphe Expenditures Edward Weston, Dorothea (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) INSIDE Members Participate in SFMS th Planaria 2 The January 13 meeting of the board makes the decisions by cret ballot was passed out, re- Society occurred at the Randall majority vote, but it does provide turned and counted by a past Photomicrographs 3 Museum in the upstairs room and the society with someone who officer, Helmut Will. The results Minerology and ….. 3 was, as a result of the active par- can articulate the program and were a foregone conclusion. The ticipation by several members, an purpose for which this society is elected were: Bill Hill, Vice Presi- Darwin 4 interesting and rewarding evening. chartered as a non-profit organiza- dent and Program Chair; Henry Abbe Condenser 4 The meeting chaired by the acting tion, to function as a scientific and Schott, Treasurer; Linda Wraxall, president and treasurer, Henry educational organization. Secretary. The position of Presi- Nomarski Microscopes 7 Schott, began with the only disap- dent remains vacant and will ro- Before the election of officers pointing event of the evening, the tate among the three officers for a failure to lure someone into the occurred, each office was opened four-month stint until a volunteer for nominations and the duties position of president. It is not a can be found to lead the organiza- difficult job nor is it one of over- were explained to the audience. tion, at which time the board will whelming responsibilities since the Members were invited to stand for any of the positions. The se- (Continued on page 3) Page 2 San Francisco Microscopical Society Edward Heron-Hart was an extraordinary polymath, a skilled violinmaker and Persian linguist as well as a world au- looked into skin and the veins underneath. A.W.Bawtree be- thority on “forams.” (Single- came famous for his stereo celled Foraminifera) (1) pp 245 photos of the miniscule while Wilson Bentley spent his whole life photographing snowflakes (and never finding two the same). The initial goal of pho- tomicrography was to eliminate the tedious task of drawing by (Continued from page 1) hand what could be seen under the microscope. It also avoided Bertsch with his amazing en- the “editing” of the background largements of diatoms, proto- features by the illustrator for the zoa, insects and crystal struc- sake of clarity. Now everything tures that got the ball rolling. in the microscopic field could Jules Lirard examined cross be seen and, despite the chal- sections of plant stems and lenges of lighting, focus and wood while Joseph Woodward Planaria, a flat worm, Photomicrograph by Bill Gurske (Continued on page 5) PLANARIA When it comes to being (Continued from page 1) interest is used for operating Society for this event was flat, Planaria meet all expenses. The Life Member- therefore $340.00. expectations, They are 2008 Income and Expens- ship account grew from $2, Ultraphot Microscope Ex- flat from stem to stern es and Life Member’s 989.84 to $3,710.84 as five penses: An agreement reached although in other re- Account with line ID new life members enlisted. with Peter Barnett houses the gards they demonstrates # There is no need to calculate Ultraphot Microscope at the utter disregard for con- Year to year Comparison exactly how much interest is Richmond Laboratory of Fo- ventional organization. of All Funds earned by the Life Membership rensic Science Associates Shaped somewhat like account since we are financially Yearly Summary of Fi- (FSA) at no rental cost to the an arrow, albeit a fat secure. The bank will report one, the anterior does nancial Transactions Society. A rented truck and a the interest that the CD earns not contain a mouth, nor 2008 helper moved all the material and that will appear in the to the new location from Oak- does there appear to be Members of the Society are 2009 report. What is im- land for $180.09; One training a posterior anus. Yet eat entitled to inspect these doc- it must since it is not portant is to track the amount session, held for members by uments if they wish. photosynthetic and this that has accumulated in the Helmut Will, prepared a few they do by an extendable How Funds are Held: The Life Membership account and members to use this instru- tube that projects from Society’s funds are held in to identify all life members. ment. Members who complete the midsection. Lacking three categories. The first is Major 2008 Expenditures: the training may use the mi- a heart and circulatory our checking account where The Ford dinner, shared with croscope by arranging access system to distribute nu- we had a balance of $3,104.99 the California Association of through Peter Barnett. trients to various parts on January 1, 2009. All funds Criminalists, represented the Micro News Expenses: The of its body, they never- received by the Society are theless succeed because greatest optional expenditure. third major expenditure is deposited into the checking the digestive system is Besides our $300.00 share of associated with the production account. The second catego- ramified into all parts the honorarium, SFMS provid- of Micro News, the Society’s ry is a CD (certificate of de- including the head and ed some support to student quarterly news and infor- posit) that was purchased on tail. The gut is a bag members who wished to at- mation letter. To facilitate pro- May 9, 2008. Comingled in, without exit so what tend. The cost of meals was duction we purchased Mi- enters by the tube must the CD is the third category, $570.00 while we collected crosoft Publisher software for also, if indigestible, exit the Life Membership funds, $530.00 from attending mem- $184.86. thereby. HS that are set aside as an en- bers. The actual cost to the dowment from which only the (Continued on page 5) San Francisco Microscopical Society Page 3 January Meeting (cont.) (Continued from page 1) efforts to do so produced an un- clear image. appoint the individual to the posi- Linda Wraxall attended the tion until an election is held in MOMA (museum of modern art) January, 2010. exhibit Brought To Light: Photog- Two new members were made raphy and the Invisible 1840-1900. welcome in the society. Bill Her talk and the pictures she cir- Gurske, a chemist, brought with culated provided a clear view of him a CD of the photomicro- this multifaceted exhibit that end- graphs he has taken of protozoa ed on January 4th.