Compressorium

The compressorium (plural: compressoria) is a scientific apparatus for applying pressure to a sample for examination with a microscope.

Compressorium by Jan Evangelista Purkyně

Widely used by microscopists in the 19th century,^[1][2][3] they were produced by companies such as Bausch and Lomb.^[4]

Many versions of compressoria were developed over the years, with one of the first attributed to the famous histologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně,^[5] see picture.

Compressoria were still used in the twenty-first century for the identification of Trichinella worms in samples.^[6]