From lessons in elementary science and later in biology , one learns that human beings and all living things consist of tissues. To have an idea  what these tissues are, the muscle is one of the four types of tissues. The other types are the nerve, connective and the epidermal tissues. On the other hand , plants have the epidermis, ground, and vascular tissues. Many of the diseases in the human body as well as in the other animals and plants are manifested in the tissues.  One of the most deadly diseases, cancer, can be diagnosed by examining the appearance of a tissue sample under a microscope (biopsy) 

Histology is the study of tissues and  the most useful tool used is the microscope, specifically the digital biological microscope. The microscope consists of  many detachable parts. With a basic unit, one can make various combinations of parts ( commonly the eyepieces and objectives )  so that the right match of illumination and magnification is arrived at. So, a biological microscope could be a stereo or compound light microscope  model fitted with features for the effective viewing of biological objects  like tissues or its cells or it could be the high-end electron microscopes. For more information about this particular type of microscope, http://www.digitalbiologicalmicroscopes.com may be of great help.

The most widely-used biological microscope is the optical or light microscope. One of the optical microscopes, a stereo microscope is also known as a dissecting microscopes. It shows a three dimensional image but is not capable of high magnification. On the other hand, the other optical microscope , the compound microscope, shows a two dimensional image and is capable of up to 1000X magnification. However, these basic optical microscope models still need the following special features to make them more suitable for  biological studies:

1. Illumination is a very critical part of microcoscopy. The way the specimen is lighted determines how its magnified view  appears. Following are some microscopy techniques used in viewing tissue culture:

a. Dark field microscopy where the transparent areas of the object appear dark, making the solid portion standout . A dark field microscope is suited for viewing samples with mostly transparent parts that are unstained to provide the contrast. Small parts in an object are difficult to see under  normal illumination.

b. Phase Contrast microscopy where the intensity of light in the area being viewed is reduced by a device attached with the condenser and objectives. The differences in the refractive indices creates the necessary contrast in the image. However, this technique is not effective for thick specimens

c. Flourescence Microscopy is very effective for stained specimens. The specimen is stained so that the target part  can be detected by the differences in light frequencies.

d. Bright field microscopy the simplest technique, using transmitted white light, but shows low contrasr blurry images

e. Oblique illumination or sideways illumination because a portion of the light is covered. Shows a three dimensional image of the object with low contrasts and resolution. Blurry images also appear.

2. Inverted Microscope
Viewing tissues  is different from viewing other specimens or objects. A tissue sample could be live, cultured tissue in a petri dish or in some glass plate, immersed in a liquid to preserve or to prevent dryness or decomposition. Due to the pull of gravity, the specimen settles at the bottom of the dish or glass container locating  them farther from the objectives  than it should be. This condition results to a blurred or unclear  magnified image of the object or specimen and led to the development of the inverted  microscope.

In an inverted microscope, the objectives, the lenses nearer the object or specimen, are located below the specimen holder for a better contact.

3. Digital camera
A digital camera built into a regular microscope make it a digital microscope. Connected to a computer, the magnified images can be easily shown, printed, distributed to all concerned, and stored. There are objects where words are just not enough to record an accurate description and the digital microscope provides the solution.
The inadequacy of words to describe certain specimen also makes the digital microscope a great educational tool. It makes the teaching and learning easier,more enjoyable and more convenient because the student can access the photo of the viewed at a later time. Visit http://www.digitalbiologicalmicroscopes.com for more information.

Electron Microscopes
Tissues are comprised of cells doing the same functions. Cells, the basic structure in living things are so small, that higher magnifications are needed to really study them.  Higher-level researches use electron microscopes which can magnify objects up to a million times with electron illumination. The two types of electron microscopes are briefly described below.

1. Scanning electron microscope ( SEM)
Shows high magnification, three dimensional images of the object

2.  Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
Shows high magnification, two dimensional images of the object. The object for magnification should be in thin slices.

The role of the microscope in tissue culture, has been well documented and accepted. In recognition of the equipment’s importance, there are a lot of developments in accessories to make the basic models function better, like the digital biological microscope. The ability to immediately project, print, save and distribute the image viewed makes the sharing of knowledge easier and faster, promoting more global cooperation for the better future of everyone.