Histology << hihs TOL uh jee >> is the biological science that studies the structure of the tissues of organisms. In the early 1600’s, scientists began using simple microscopes to observe the structural features of various plants and animals. Histology developed as a science in the mid-1800’s, when the use of compound microscopes made it possible to view features of cellular and subcellular tissues. Today, the electron microscope enables histologists to examine details of tissues magnified by hundreds of thousands of times. By using various chemical techniques, histologists can identify the precise location of various proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in tissues.
