Box of 126 microscope preparations of a spinal column, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1911-1950
These slides show sections of the spinal column of an ‘idiot’. These slides were prepared by Alexander Ninian Bruce (d 1968), a Scottish physician and neurologist. The slides also show a number of different staining techniques used in microscopy and histology. ‘Idiot’ is a historical medical term, which is no longer used, to describe a person with a profound intellectual disability. Profound intellectual disability is a psychiatric category used to describe individuals with an IQ of less than 20.
Object number:
A602459
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: histology
The study of the structure of tissues by means of special staining techniques combined with light and electron microscopy.
Glossary: microscopical preparation
slides prepared for examination under the microscope
Glossary: microscopy
The use of microscopes to study objects or samples. The three major types of microscopy are optical, electron and scanning probe microscopy.
Glossary: spinal column
The series of vertebrae that extend from the cranium to the coccyx, providing support and forming a flexible bony case for the spinal cord.
Glossary: idiot
An out of date medical term for a person with profound mental developmental deficiencies. Now considered a term of abuse.
Glossary: IQ
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a score based on one of several different standardized tests designed to measure intelligence and reasoning ability.
Glossary: profound mental retardation
A level of mental retardation or mental disorder associated with an IQ below 20.
Glossary: staining
A technique in which cells or thin sections of biological tissue are placed in coloured dyes (stains) to make them visible through a microscope. Staining heightens the contrast between transparent cell or tissue components.