Étude historique du microscope optique : Des premières lentilles du XVIe siècle aux techniques de super-résolution et de lecture automatisée

The history of optic microscope is non separable from the history of optics that is the science of light and vision. The first microscopes appear at 16, 17th century with the grinding of lenses that refract light according to geometric optics. During 18th century an achromatic lens system is successfully construct. During the end of 19th century Carl Zeiss, Ernst Abbe, August Köhler and Otto Schott put the bases of modern microscope using an apochromatic lens with low aberration and high numerical aperture. Abbe theory describes imaging in terms of captured diffracted orders providing better resolution without breakdown half wavelength limit. At 20th century optics become calculatory from Joseph Fourier bringing Fritz Zernike to conceive the phase contrast and Nomarsky the differential interference contrast. After light become quantic interacting with matter. Photonic optics led to fluorescence, laser light and confocal scanner laser microscope. The end of 20th and 21th century the new superresolution technologies are either based on tailored illumination, precise localisation of single molecules, evanescent waves detection and/or non linear optics. Microscope is also capable of microdissection of cells in tissular sections and automatic cell classification and slides trier.