Study of small structures involved passing light through them and the microtome was invented to provide sufficiently thin slices of tissue to examine.
stˈʌdi ʌv smˈɔːl stɹˈʌktʃɚz ɪnvˈɑːlvd pˈæsɪŋ lˈaɪt θɹuː ðˌɛm ænd ðə mˈaɪkɹoʊtˌoʊm wʌz ɪnvˈɛntᵻd tə pɹəvˈaɪd səfˈɪʃəntli θˈɪn slˈaɪsᵻz ʌv tˈɪʃuː tʊ ɛɡzˈæmɪn.