Tonsils under the Microscope

Human tonsils are the body's first line of defense against ingested or inhaled foreign pathogens. When tonsils become enlarged or inflamed (tonsillitis) they are sometimes removed. The fundamental immunological roles of the tonsils have yet to be understood fully.

This is an image of a human tonsil captured at 400x magnification with the MT4300 biological microscope with the aperture diaphragm closed (allowing less light on the specimen).

Same specimen, but with the aperture all the way open (a bit too much light on the specimen).

Same specimen, with the aperture adjusted to allow the right amount of light through the microscope condenser.