A man by the name of Kurt Olbrich has invented a microscope which he
calls the Ergonom 400.  This scope supposedly gives magnifications of
up to 25,000 x's and can be used for viewing live specimens (blood,
for example).  It's been a long time since my college German classes,
so I need info in English.  Can you provide me with a number of links
plus other info that will fill me in on this scope and its
capabilities?  Thanks...

Hi! Thanks for the very interesting question.

The following are links about the Ergonom 400 and its uses. I shall
provide some snippets regarding the articles so as to save you time
but I highly recommend that you read all of them in their entirety.

“Until now, light-source microscopes could reach magnifications of
about 2,000 times allowing limited live observation of bacteria, but
not of smaller, virus-sized micro-organisms. Electron microscopes can
reach magnifications of up to 400,000 times but because they work with
x-rays and an evaporated vacuum, cannot be used to view living
cultures. The Ergonom 400, a ‘light-source-like’ microscope with
magnification capability of 25,000 times allows observers to view, for
long periods, the development cycle of living micro-organisms as small
as viruses.”

“The Ergonom 400 can be used as a tool for AIDS diagnosis and in the
testing of substances to combat AIDS as well. The microscope has been
able, for the first time, to discern three distinct stages of the AIDS
virus in living tissue. Long before a person tests positive on the
AIDS antibody test, Muschlein can see the presence of ‘red crimson
particles’ in the blood, denoting an AIDS infection.”

“At present, a total of five Ergonom 400 microscopes are in use by
researchers in Germany, England and Japan. Microscope research and
development thus far has been funded privately by Muschlein and
others. He says over DM2 million have been spent out of pocket.
Meanwhile, inventor Kurt Olbrich is working toward a breakthrough
which would enable an increase in the Ergonom’s magnification of up to
two or three times. But for that, Muschlein says, and to further his
own research, ‘we need more money.’”

Peering into the mystery of disease
Interview with Bernard Muschlein
by Monte Leach 
http://www.shareintl.org/archives/health-healing/hh_mlpeerin.html 

“There is some confusion about the issue of magnification. A few
manufacturers advertise magnifications of 8,000-15,000x. They arrive
at this figure by knowing the size of a blood corpuscule on the slide,
measuring the size of its projection onto the TV screen and dividing
these figures. In optical physics this is NOT the way to define
magnification. Besides, it is generally accepted that useful optical
magnification cannot exceed 1250x so after that, it is all empty,
digital 'magnification' with a loss of resolution i.e. the image
becomes increasingly blurred. Unless you use an electron microscope of
course for which you need severely deep pockets, but the bombardement
with electrons rather defeats the live blood aspect we're after. Much
higher magnification for darkfield & phase contrast live blood
analysis nowadays can be achieved only with the Ergonom 400 or 500 at
a price of some £100,000 -150,000.”

Biological Terrain and Live Blood Analysis Course
http://www.bioterrain.co.uk/BioTerrain/microscopes.html  

The next link is an English translation of Google on a German website
about
Ergonom 400 and its inventor plus contact number for the inventor
himself.

Are you ready to think again about optical microscopes?
ERGONOM 400 forms the key to new realizations
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.mikroskop-olbrich.de/ergonom.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Ergonom%2B400%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8

Another translated web page about the inventor and the Ergonom 400’s
uses. The translation is somewhat erratic but here we could surmise
that Olbrich previously worked for Hoechst.

“The German investigator Kurt Olbrich, former investigator of the
Hoechst company, giant of druggist chemistry, rilascia sophisticated
reports for the international search, using of a super microscope,
called Ergonom 400 and have recently confirmed the studies of
microscopy in Dark Field begin to you from prof. the G. Enderlain,
already in the first half of this century, with searches of
pleomorfici microorganisms not very classifiable second the classics
scientific dogmas still today taught in the university, comprising
prioni, virus, bacteria, protozoi, fungi, spore.”

ALLERGIES, ASTHMA incurable diseases? 
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.e-medicinanaturale.com/alimentazione/allergie.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Ergonom%2B400%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8

Sample Pictures Created through the Ergonom 400
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.mikroskop-olbrich.de/samples_deu_04.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Ergonom%2B400%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8

Search terms used: 
“Ergonom 400” microscope

I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information. Thanks for visiting us at Google
Answers.

Regards,
Easterangel-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by easterangel-ga on 12 Sep 2002 18:09 PDT

The following is a newer version the Ergonom 500. You can download a
powerpoint presentation here about the product.

Ergonom 500
http://www.itacorporation.com/samples.htm

Hello,

I am posting this as a comment because I was unable to find many
links.

The periodical Share International has an article about the microscope
at (http://www.shareintl.org/archives/health-healing/hh_mlpeerin.html).
An excerpt:

"Until now, light-source microscopes could reach magnifications of
about 2,000 times allowing limited live observation of bacteria, but
not of smaller, virus-sized micro-organisms. Electron microscopes can
reach magnifications of up to 400,000 times but because they work with
x-rays and an evaporated vacuum, cannot be used to view living
cultures. The Ergonom 400, a ‘light-source-like’ microscope with
magnification capability of 25,000 times allows observers to view, for
long periods, the development cycle of living micro-organisms as small
as viruses."

There is a new version of the device called the Ergonom 500. ITA
Corp., which sells the Ergonom 500 in the U.S., has little information
available on its Web page (www.itacorporation.com), but it does have a
phone number you can call for more information.

I also used Google's translation tool to translate Olbrich's Web page
(http://translate.google.com/translate?sourceid=navclient&hl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emikroskop%2Dolbrich%2Ede%2F)
into English. The translation is not perfect but good enough to use to
get information on the microscope. Unfortunately, Olbrich's page is
not that comprehensive.

Judging from the comments and links posted so far, I would speculate
that the Ergonom is some variant of a fluorescent microscope.  By
collecting light emitted directly by a specimen (the light-source-like
comment), it could surpass the usual diffraction limit of microscopes
that use light reflected/diffacted by a specimen.  In the usual
fluorescent microscope, an externally applied excitation light source
is needed.  This would be true for the Ergonom as well, though it
probably is more specialized.  The excitation light could be of very
specific wavelengths intended to induce fluorsence in specific
micro-organisms or organism components/molecules. It might use
coherent laser light as well, which provides additional image
information.  Finally, it would use some techniques to separate the
excitation light from the emitted light.  In the usual fluorescent
microscopes, dichroic mirrors and narrow band blocking or band passing
filters are used to separate background light from specimen light. The
Ergonom may also use a timing technique (chopping?), where excitation
light is pulsed, and delayed fluorescent light is detected in the
non-pulse time intervals.  I am just speculating.

Take a look at this Google search for more background:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=fluorescent+microscope&spell=1

Why don't you <a href="://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Ergonom+400+Kurt+Olbrich+&btnG=Google+Search">Google</a>
and use the translate feature if you have to?