The Wenham prism first appeared around the year 1860, and was named after its inventor, Francis Wenham. Wenham was born in Kensington in the year 1824. He was the son of a surgeon stationed with the Army, and at a young age showed much interest in science.
His invention of the Wenham prism was the first successful attempt to blend binocular vision within a microscope. This technique continued in microscopes until the early 1900's.
The Wenham prism is small in size and has an angle of deflection at about 15 degrees. It sits right above the nosepiece of the scope and when the prism is moved in and out of the casing it sits in (similar to the movement you make when opening a dresser drawer), the vision is adjusted.
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The prism only works for short focal points of 1 inch or shorter. Anything with a longer focal point would mean the prism would be removed and the microscope would go back to a monocular state. The prism was usually held in place with wax, not glue.
This invention not only worked in microscopes, but in the last few years of the 19th century, also helped to create powerful telescopes.
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