British instrument maker Henry Crouch developed this microscope in the nineteenth century to serve the needs of medical students by attempting to make a fully functional, yet portable, universal microscope.

The microscope is constructed mainly of brass and polished/plated metal and is supported by a curved foot with trunnions supporting the limbs. Coarse focus is achieved with a rackwork that moves the Wenham binocular body tube, while fine focus is by a short lever situated near the nosepiece. A plano-concave mirror reflects light through a substage-mounted rotating disc unit containing three apertures. The stage is made of black glass and will rotate providing universal movement. Samples are secured to the stage with a pair of pressure clips adjacent to a ledge. This compact microscope met the needs of medical students who needed a high-quality research microscope that was light enough to be conveniently mobile.

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