Binocular microscope by Smith, Beck & Beck, 1866, London, United Kingdom. Serial no. 4260, Microscope presented to Dr. Henry Sutton for his services in the cholera wards of the London Hospital

Dr Henry Sutton, a physician, was presented with this compound microscope for his work in the cholera wards of the London Hospital. Cholera epidemics spread across Europe and the rest of the world for much of the 1800s. In 1883, Robert Koch identified the cause of cholera as a bacteria he named Vibrio cholera. Many physicians such as Henry Sutton did not accept the germ theory of disease as the sole cause of cholera. Sutton preferred a theory of multiple causes that included environment, cleanliness and diet. The brass microscope was made by Smith, Beck and Beck, optical instrument makers based in London.