The microscope is used to identify diseases since 1644. However, it is still largely an expensive instrument and requires the extensive amount of learning to use it regularly, and it was never easy to carry microscopes out of the field to diagnose disease because of heavy weight. Indian-American biologist Manu Prakash had printed a microscope onto an A4 sized paper. This simple tool is not known as the microscope, and it is dubbed as Foldscope. Foldscope is a lifesaver, especially in developing nations where the disease like Malaria and Dengue is on the rise. Manu Prakash said “In Kenya, there are not enough anti-malarial drugs, but even still they are given blindly. They are over-used because people are so scared.” Well, microscopes can correctly diagnose and treat a disease and can prevent deaths, but as we already mentioned access to microscopes are restrained to test labs, causing delays and false diagnoses. So, to avoid these Manu Prakash and his team invented Foldscope which is made out of paper and is extremely easy to use. Manu Prakash said, “You can throw it in water, stand on it, jump on it and throw it from a five-storey building.” Initially, they made a 1,000 of these microscopes, and this microscope costs approximately 50 cents (Rs 30) only! Well, if you want to know how this foldable microscope works, then you need to check out the video where Manu Prakash describes how it can Save Billions Of Lives.
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