Glass has played a remarkable role in the world of hospitals and laboratories. From test tubes and thermometers to specially blown instruments, radio tubes, and even human eyes, glass is universal.
Glass negative plates were used before the invention of photographic film. Valuable in the laboratory because it will not react with most chemicals, glass is still the best material for storing museum specimens preserved in liquids. It is easy to clean and keep sterilized since neither air, liquids, nor bacteria can pass through it. Special optical glass provides the raw material for eyeglass, binocular, and microscope lenses. One Canadian company even manufactured glass burial caskets in the 1880s! And glass is the only material that can be made to focus light, magnify, and form images.
With new formulas being developed and used in the space, communications, and building industries, glass retains its importance in the modern scientific world. In fibre optics communication systems, for example, light signals are sent through tiny rods of fine glass.
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