How did the masters shoe‑horn a flea? - briefly
The masters lifted the flea with a fine brush, placed it on a microscopic shoe‑horn, and guided it onto the shoe in a single, precise motion. The technique depends on exceptional steadiness and specially crafted miniature tools.
How did the masters shoe‑horn a flea? - in detail
The masters employed a miniature instrument, essentially a scaled‑down shoe‑horn, to lift the flea from its perch without injury. The procedure comprised several precise actions:
- Preparation of the tool – a thin metal strip, length about 12 mm, curvature matching the underside of a shoe‑horn, polished to a smooth finish to prevent the flea’s legs from slipping.
- Positioning – the flea is coaxed onto a flat surface, such as a piece of parchment, using a soft brush. The surface is lightly dampened to reduce the insect’s tendency to jump.
- Alignment – the tip of the instrument is placed just beneath the flea’s thorax, the narrowest point of its body, ensuring contact with the ventral side only.
- Elevation – a gentle upward motion, measured in millimetres, lifts the flea a fraction of a millimetre, sufficient to free it from the substrate while maintaining a stable grip on its exoskeleton.
- Transfer – the lifted flea is guided onto a prepared receptacle, typically a hollowed wax capsule, by tilting the instrument slightly forward, allowing gravity to complete the relocation.
The entire sequence requires steady hands, magnification (often a simple convex lens), and an awareness of the flea’s rapid reflexes. Mastery is achieved through repeated practice, each iteration refining the angle of approach and the force applied. The result is a controlled extraction that preserves the flea’s integrity for further examination.