An ‘Air Wall’ Incubator for Microscopy

Abstract

THE need for maintenance of incubation temperatures while observing tissue cultures under the microscope has led to the development, in this laboratory, of an ‘air wall’ incubator. The method makes use of downward directed, heated air which passes over the microscope stage, thus providing a warm field within which incubation temperatures are maintained. The apparatus was fashioned from inexpensive equipment. It eliminates the need for the customary bulky enclosures, and therefore permits unhindered access to the microscope. It is independent of, and easily adaptable to, any microscope and is now in continuous use in this laboratory on a Cooke, Troughton and Simms inverted microscope. A stage-level temperature of 37° ±0.5°C has been maintained for as long as 6 h. There is no reason why such temperatures cannot be maintained indefinitely.