A macroscopic medical examination can motivate the subsequent development of a microscopic analysis.
The adjective macroscopic is used in the field of biology to describe what can be observed without the need to use a microscope. The macroscopic, therefore, is detectable with the naked eye, unlike the microscopic.
The macroscopic characteristics , in this way, can be seen without the help of tools or instruments . In any case, it must be taken into account that a macroscopic phenomenon can be determined by another microscopic one.
Macroscopic medical examinations
Suppose a person has a visible injury that has no apparent cause, since it occurred spontaneously. A doctor, performing a macroscopic examination of the area in question, soon discovers the wound.
However, the professional decides to extract a skin sample from the area to perform a microscopic study because he needs to determine the origin of the problem. Thus he discovers that the lesion arose from an infection caused by microbes, which are organisms that can only be detected through a microscope. In short, this individual's injury is macroscopic, but its causes are microscopic.
Cells and bacteria
Cells , on the other hand, are usually microscopic in size. But when they come together in a certain way, with a regular order and jointly developing a certain function, they create a tissue that can be seen with the naked eye: the cell is microscopic, the tissue is macroscopic. When observing the tissue through a microscope, the tiny elements that make it up just appear.
Similarly, bacteria are microorganisms that can be seen under a microscope, although their effects on other organisms are often macroscopic.
Macroscopic photography focuses on tiny elements on a scale larger than their actual size.
The macroscopic in photography
In the field of photography, the term macroscopic is used to refer to the branch of this discipline that deals with images of very small objects and creatures on a scale larger than their actual size. In these images we can see insects, lichens and tiny objects as if they were giants. Macroscopic photographs can only be achieved with a special lens, called a macro, which has been specially designed to capture an image with a minimum focusing distance (that is, to be able to take very close photos). The macro lens allows you to capture a small object at its actual size or on a larger scale.
One of the problems with macro photography is depth of field . The design of the lenses only allows them to capture a small area of the depth of the photographed object, so the sharpness is not even: that is, one part of the object is very sharp (when it is in focus) and the other is blurred (because is outside the focus radius). Some cameras come prepared to correct this problem, but it is very difficult for them to achieve total sharpness .
For a few years now, some photographers have been working with Macropod, which is a lens system that allows you to take completely clear photos. By capturing several images of the object, each with a different depth of field, and combining these in post-production, impressive details can be achieved in very small beings and objects. In this way, capturing the antennae of a wasp will not prevent us from appreciating the rest of its body, in the same way that we can photograph an insect without missing any detail of its body. Without a doubt, it is a fabulous companion for any lover of macroscopic photography.