Ryder microtome in case by J. Zentmayer, Philadelphia, c. 1888

Microtomes are used to prepare thin slices of a specimen for study through a microscope.

Objects are most easily observed through a microscope if they are thin enough for light to pass through them. The microtome was first used to cut thin slices for this purpose in the late 19th century.

Ryder first described his inexpensive microtome in 1887.