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FEATURING
FLEAS, ANTS
and FLIES
And the Denizens of a Waterdrop
The Romance of the Tolhurst Microscopic Films
By Grace D. Elder
BESIDES being tall, good looking and interestingly shy, in the well-known manner of scientists, Louis H. Tolhurst of Los Angeles is one of the world's few — very few — microscopists.
you may ask,
And what, you may ask, is microscopist?
On a piece of glass one inch by two, Tolhurst has staged, and screened, some of life's most thrilling dramas. Love, hate, wisdom, industry, all are paraded before the fascinated observer, with an intensity and veracity beyond the capabilities of any human movie star.
And without the aid of the microscopist the stage would appear to hold but an empty drop of water. Not a single actor of possible millions would be seen!
Tolhurst is the inventor of the combination of the microscopic motion picture camera (which operates at a speed of 32 exposures a second) with a cool light of intense brilliance. This latter makes it possible to photograph insect life without cooking the tiny performers.
Not only has this clever young scientist made it possible for us to see the unseen. He has fixed upon the screen the fascinating life drama of the seemingly ordinary, even repulsive "bug." The flea, the ant, the fly, all play their parts with never a shade of artifice.
The civic efficiency of an ant settlement makes an attention holding reel. Governed by a queen, the ants are divided into gangs. Some of them clean the streets, others "farm." Still
LOUIS H. TOLHURST, MICROSCOPIST
others bring up the young. A startling feature of Tolhurst's studies is the accurate revelation of the ant's amazing strength, which has no equivalent in human life.
The microscopist's almost too realistic photographs of the well known,
THE PRISMATIC EYE OF A FLY
Magically Used by Tolhurst as a Lens in
One of His Films
but elusive, flea leave one with divided feelings. The equipment of this insect is certainly efficient when it comes to holding on to any available
fur. But to see the little thing propel a miniature motor car is to fill one with unalloyed admiration. Tolhurst arranges and films this unusual "act" with consummate skill.
One of Tolhurst's "stars" is Bill, the trained fly. His antics amaze and delight, for he does nothing less than lie on his back on a pedestal and juggle tiny furniture with his feet! Unbelievable, of course — but the proof's in the picture!
And the man who is giving us this knowledge of science in sugar coated doses was educated to be a lawyer! It was a happy piece of luck which gave him a never-tobe-forgotten glimpse of the world of the scientist. His father presented him with a microscope on his twelfth birthday. From that time forward every spare moment of his boyhood was devoted to his improvised laboratory. Here he discovered marvels beyond his imagination, and laid the groundwork of a career which was to make him famous.
Though Tolhurst studied for the law, and actually practiced, his heart was never in it, and after a year's trial he gave it up. He then turned to the more lucrative work of garage managing, for he needed much money in his scientific experiments. In fact,
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Twenty-three