James B. McCormick Replica Rare Antique Microscope Collection
McCormick Replica Rara Microscope Display
James B. McCormick, M.D. (‘47) with his son Jeremy J. McCormick, M.D. with donated microscopes, books and antique microscope slides for museum.
The microscopes included in this collection were donated by Dr. and Mrs. James B. McCormick. Dr. McCormick, a physician, entrepreneur, and pioneer in histological technology, holds more than 40 patents for health science-related products. His tissue embedding and processing techniques, as well as his patented cryostats, microtomes, cassettes and tissue embedding centers, have changed the way tissue is processed throughout the world.
As avid collectors of antique laboratory instruments, Dr. and Mrs. McCormick have formed the Science Heritage Collection of rare microscopes and prepared natural science microscope slides. Along with books on the history of histotechnology, some of the microscopes have been reproduced for use in a teaching curriculum in the history of science at Notre Dame. Portions of the collection of microscopes have been contributed to the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C.
The historically accurate replica microscopes on display are fully functional and available for use by researchers and historians interested in observing microscopic specimens as they appeared to 18th and 19th century scientists, during the golden age of microbial discovery.