CHARLES A.

HAMBAGELE
CUHAS/LAB/7000364/T.14
 BY DEFINITION;
 The dark ground microscope is the type of

light microscope in which no direct rays of

light from condenser to enters the
microscope.
 But it uses a scattered rays rays of lights after
to be diffracted ,reflected, and refracted at
the edge of the condenser.
 A dark field microscope uses indirect light to enhance the visibility.
eyepiece

specimen
objectives

Dark condenser
stage

Diffraction of light

Source of light
 A powerful right is needed, modern halogen
lamp are excellent.
 Use the plane side of the microscope mirror

and adjust the condenser of the light source

so that it show the image onto centre of the
mirror.
 The dark ground condenser must be

accurately centered.
 Use several drops of cedar-wool oil to the
upper surface of the condenser, the specimen
is mounted on the slides of the correct
thickness then placed on the stage. The
condenser racked upward until the slides
and the condenser are completely joined by a
thin layer foil.
 Clear disc

Opaque disc
Metal disc
 In the dark ground method of illumination,
no direct rays of light from condenser to
enters the microscope object are visible not
because they are transverse direct light rays
entering the microscope but because they
cause diffraction, refraction and reflection of
indirect light rays into the microscope.
 Diffraction is the property of light waves to
bend round corners.
 Reflection is the throwing back of light rays

after striking a reflected surface e.g. plane

mirror
 WORKING PRINCIPLE
 Source of light is placed at the lower part
directed toward the centre of the dark ground
condenser .
 A black disk mask the centre of the lower

surface and only a ring of right can enter

around the edge.
 The dark ground condenser is closely applied

to under surface of the slide, in a place of the

normal sub stage condenser.
 A layer of cedar wool oil will cause no air

must be present between them.

 The path of light passes outsides the aperture
of the microscope objective and a clean slides
will appear black and empty.
 Solid, particles will cause diffraction, refraction

and reflection of light rays and some of these

will enter the objective of the microscope
causing the particles to be brilliantly
illuminated against a black/dark ground. Metal
disc
 Dark ground microscopy is particularly
useful for detecting;
 motile treponema palladium in chancre fluid.
 motile borreliae in blood
 motile leptospires in urine
 pathogenic microfilariae in blood. The sheath

and nuclei can be clearly seen

 Cryptococci in cerebrospinal fluid. The capsule

can be clearly seen.

 Vibrios in specimen and culture.
 background.

The annular aperture system for dark field microscopy.

322 &muda; 333 - 6k - gif
Dark field microscopy produces an image with a dark