Four years ago the first modern electron microscope was exhibited by the Siemens & Halske A.-G., in Berlin (TIME, June 6, 1938). Two years ago the R.C.A. Laboratories completed the first commercial American model, seven feet tall, magnifying by 25.000 diameters and costing $10,000. Last week R.C.A. and General Electric, racing for 1) a major public service, 2) a big market among hospitals, universities and industrial laboratories, both announced simplified, portable models at about $2,000 ready for general useby priority customers. A big world beyond the limits of the ordinary light microscope now lies open to exploration.
A crowd of researchers from...