US873059A - Microtome. - Google Patents

Description

P ATEN TED DEC. 1 0-, 1907.

H. LEBRUN MIGROTOME.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20,1906.

HECTOR LEBRUN, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

MIGROTOM'E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed March 20. 1906. Serial No. 807.078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HECTOR LEBRUN, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at 29 Rue Van Ostaede, Brussels, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Microtomes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is a microtome by means of which sections of an object incased in the usual manner in paraffin wax can be made and directly mounted upon glass supports, one after the other in such a manner that they form upon the surface of the support a continuous ribbon arranged in a circle or spirally.

The invention consists essentially in combining with a microtome of known construction, a support or slide carrier turning on a vertical axle and arranged beneath the knife of the microtome and close to it so that the ribbon formed by successive slices of the block of parafiin wax each adhering to the following, edge to edge, as is produced by an ordinary microtome, is arranged in a circle on the support or slide" placed on the carrier and turning therewith. The axle of the carrier is mounted on an arrangement of slides which permits of its horizontal movement in two directions at right angles to each other during the rotation of the carrier for the purpose of enabling the ribbon to be arranged spirally if so desired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a microtome to which the present improvements have been applied.

' Figs. 2 and 3 are views, partially in vertical section of the two slides upon which the support or slide carrier is mounted. Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section and Fig. 5 is a plan of a modified arrangement of support or slide carrier.

The microtome itself does not differ from those generally used except that the ordinary knife carrier is re laced by two arms a a fixed horizontally to t e frame b b of the machine, the knife 0 being fixed by screws (1 d in grooves made in the front part of the arms. This arrangement enables sufficient space to be left under the knife toaccommodatethe slide carrier which consists of a plate e preferably circular in shape, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) mounted on the vertical axle f to which a rotary movement is given by any suitable means for instance by clockwork contained in a barrel 9 incasing the axle f. This barrel 9 is carried by a base it resting on a slide orchannel t in which is fitted an endless screw 1' engaging with a nut h fixed under the base h. A handle is permits of the screw j being turned in both directions to move the support carrier backwards and forwards in the channel t. Beneath the channel t is similarly fixed a nut h with which a second endless screw Z engages which is fitted in a channel m arranged at right angles to the channel (a. By means of the handle n the screw Z can be turned in both directions so that the channel t with the support carrier mounted upon it is moved backwards and forwards along the channel m.

The graduations on the sides of the channels t and m enable the amount of displacement of the carrier in either direction to be regulated exactly, 0 is the support or slide consisting preferably of a disk of glass covered with a thin layer of a suitable adhesive material. This disk is placed on the plate 6 of the slide carrier and can be perforated with a hole in the center to receive the top of the axle f when the latter projects above the upper surface of the plate 6 as shown in Fig. 1.

The microtome shown in Fig. 1 is of well known construction in which the block of paraffin wax p incasing the object to be sliced is carried by an arm q mounted in a support 1" fixed to a vertical carriage to which an up and down movement within the frame I) can be imparted by means of the crank 15 operated by a hand wheel a.

Clockwork 12 causes the support 1' with the block 1) to advance towards the knife 0 a distance equal to the thickness of the slice to be cut at each revolution of the wheel a corresponding to one up and'down movement of the support 7'. It is a simple matterto regulate the clockwork or other means for operating the slide carrier so that for each revolution of the wheel uthe carrier e and the disk 0 are rotated a distance practically equal to the width of the slice cut from the block p. The efiect of the rotation of the disk 0 will be that the ribbon as consisting of successive slices of the block 1) which adhere to each other as they pass over the knife will be arranged in a circle on the disk 0 and in order to prevent the inner edges of the slices from overlapping, the shape of the block is made more or less trapezoidal by obliquely cutting its upper and lower surfaces or by so cutting one of them.

If it is desired that the ribbon be spirally arranged on the disk 0 the carrier is moved b means of the screws 9' and Z so as to displace the center of rotation of the disk each time the disk has described a quarter or half a circle according as to whether a spiral with four or two centers is required. In the first case one of the screws is operated after a quarter turn of the disk so as to displace the center of the disk a distance equal to half the width of a slice of the block p, then after a second quarter the other screw is similarly operated and so on so that the line followed by the center of the disk forms a square. In the secondcase a less perfect spiral is obtained by successively operating the two screws after each half turn of the disk so that the displacement of the center of the latter follows a straight line.

According to the modification of the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the channel '5 in which the carrierslides can be pivoted at one end to a vertical aXle w. In this case the action of the lower screw Z can be replaced by a partial rotation of the channel i with the carrier round the pivot w. If the disks used are without the hole in the center the plate of the slide carrier can be provided with a vertical flange y and the plate is made large enough for the disks to be fitted in the flange as shown in Fig. 4.

I/Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination with a microtome of a support placed underneath the knife of the said microtome for receiving thesuccessive slices of the object to be cut and means for imparting a revolving motion to said support.

2. The combination with a microtome of a support located underneath the knife of the said microtome for receiving the successive slices of the object to be cut, means for imparting a revolving motion to said support and means for moving the center of revolution of said support.

3. The combination with a microtome of a support for receiving the successive sections of the object to be sliced, a carrier for said support arranged on a vertical axle underneath the knife of the microtome, means for imparting a rotary motion to said axle, a base upon which said aXle rests and rotates, a slide-way carrying said base, means for moving said base along said slide-way, a second slide way upon which rests the first slide way at right angles therewith and means for moving the said first slide way along said second slide-way.

4. The combination with a microtome of a support for receiving the successive sections of the object to be sliced, a carrier for said support arranged on a vertical aXle underneath the knife of the microtome, means for imparting rotatory motion to said axle, a base carrying said axle, a slide-way upon which said base rests, means for moving said basealong said slide-way and. a vertical axle upon which is pivoted the said slide way.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HECTOR LEBRUN.

Witnesses JAo UEs SEVERE, GREGORY PHELAN.

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