[Histonet] Re: Polarizing filters

[Robert Richmond]

I am really appalled by this thread. In any specialty but pathology, a
physician would not be required to go to a camera store for his
optical equipment, or look through polarizing sun glasses at a
specimen. But it's what's out there - very few pathologists I work for
have polarizers on their microscopes.

A pathologist's microscope should have built-in polarization, and the
system should include a first order plate (full wave plate) for
determining the birefringence direction of crystals (needed for
identifying monosodium urate, a common diagnostic question).

When I was ten years old in 1949 I had a polarizer on my Dad's 1923
medical school monocular brass tube Leitz - I wish I had that scope
today (my sister has it, in a garage in L.A.) (I was an avid rockhound
- still am.) Why can't I have one 60 years later?

I don't mind buying my bone saws from Home Depot and my OptiVISION
magnifier from Amazon, but when it comes to my microscope I'd sort of
like to have the real thing.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN