Medical Applications of Maggots and Microscopy

Microstructure

• Maggots, the larvae of a bluebottle fly, are used medicinally to clean wounds by feeding on dead tissue and leaving healthy tissue untouched.
• The maggots' saliva contains anti-bacterial chemicals that maintain sterility in the wound area.
• Maggots are used to treat ulcers and deep wounds, particularly diabetic ulcers on the feet, away from organs or body cavities.

SEM and TEM Applications

• SEM and TEM are used in:
  • Medicine and veterinary medicine for diagnosis and medical research, including developing and testing new drugs.
  • Study of materials in other sciences such as archeology, metallurgy, botany, and zoology.
  • Development and testing of new materials for industrial use.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

• SEM is used to inspect topographies of specimens at very high magnifications, up to 300,000 X.
• Most applications require magnifications of less than 3,000 X.
• SEM uses a focused beam of electrons to dislodge electrons from the specimen, which are then collected and translated into a signal.
• The electron beam is swept across the area being inspected, producing many signals that are amplified, analyzed, and translated into images of the topography.

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

• TEM is analogous to a slide projector.
• In a conventional TEM, a thin specimen is irradiated with an electron beam of uniform current density.
• Electrons are emitted from the electron gun and illuminate the specimen through a condenser lens system.
• The electron intensity distribution behind the specimen is magnified with a lens system and viewed on a fluorescent screen.
• The image can be recorded by direct exposure of a photographic emulsion or digitally by a CCD camera.
• The acceleration voltage of modern TEM instruments is up to 200 kV.