Non-Brexit Headlines. Tripods and Sugar Refractometer. Spermaceti

Growing sugar crystal - stereopair for cross-eye viewing

Main news of the day is everything but Brexit. Brian has been lashing the west coast of Britain and Ireland. After the Catalan referendum without the consent of the Spanish national government, the Catalans may come under direct rule. Thousands protesting in Barcelona. President Trump says he is minded to allow the release of files on the assassination of President John F Kennedy, which are coming up for review. The WHO announces that it is going to appoint President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe as a goodwill ambassador. Then, after a global outcry, the WHO suggests that it may reconsider.

"Repeat after me: I will not buy any more microscopes at the meeting", said Jane, and I duly agreed last night. The admonishing rang silently in my ears as I arrived at the Microscopium, the annual selling/buying event of the Quekett Microscopical Society. I duly avoided buying one or more of the many different second hand microscopes available there. However, I did find two camera tripods and a monopod, which will partially replace one or more of the damaged ones that I have. The monopod will be a useful accessory as lighter to carry whilst still providing stability for photography under difficult conditions. I found an all metal analogue Bellingham and Stanley, 0-28% sugar  refractometer, which has already proved useful in determining that an individual shop bought mandarin had a sugar content of 12%, whilst one of our garden apples only had 8% sugar. More applications will no doubt arise.

Looking through some of the microscope slides on sale, I came across an old (late 19th/early 20th Century) one labelled 'Spermaceti: Warm the slide gently and the crystals will reform as it cools'.

Spermaceti is a waxy substance found in large quantities (up to 19000 litres) in an organ in the head of sperm whales. It was a prized product in the 19th and early 20th Centuries and the focus of whale hunting. The large, pure wax ester crystals that could be obtained from spermaceti were used in everyday objects from cosmetics to candles as it was without taste or smell. The unit of light,   Candlepower, was defined in the United Kingdom Act of Parliament Metropolitan Gas Act 1860 and adopted at the International Electrotechnical Conference of 1883. It was based on the light produced by a pure spermaceti candle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermaceti).

Thankfully, we have moved on to try and save whales rather than slaughter them. Jojoba esters are a modern plant based equivalent in terms of properties for the same uses. In fact, in 2010, the International Jojoba Export Council actively confirmed its support for maximum and permanent restrictions on trade and use of whale derived products.