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Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke, a monk, proposed the theory of the cell while observing the bark of a cork tree. The name of his discovery was influenced by the individual rectangular compartments he observed under the microscope of the cork that reminded Hooke of rooms in the monstary, called cells. -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Leeunwenhoek "the Father of microbiology" refined the microscope by increasing the magnification of the lenses to over 200x. Through the updated lenses Leeuwenhoek discovered single celled organisms, animucules (example: bacteria), in pond water and other liquids. He was inspired by Hooke's book which led him to the discovery of bacteria. -
Felix Dujardin
Dujardin observations while using the microscope concluded that a cell is made of several microorganisms. His discovery disproved Leeunwhoek's by stating cells are made of microorganism rather than one large cell. -
Henri Dutrochet
Dutrochet discovered that cells are the fundamental structure of living things, animals and plants. He studied the importance of cells in muscular tissue of organisms.
He proved that not only are organisms made of cells, but that those cells work together to form a tissue. -
Matthias Schielden
Schielden observed plants under the microscope studying the cells of a plant. He concluded that plants are made up of cells and when a plant grows it is because new cells were formed. He disproved Dutrichet by discovering that although the cells work together to form tissue, but cells reproduce which result in growth. -
Theodor Schwann
in 1839 Schwann improved the cell theory while observing animal tissues under the microscope. Through his research he concluded that animal tissue are made up of cells which make up the organism; making the cell the fundamental unit of organization.
He proved that both animals and plants are made from the same unit of life, the cell. -
Rudolf Virchow
Virchow's discovery formed the third tenets of the cell theory, if cells malfunction then the organism becomes ill. While examinating the tissues during an autospy Virchow indentified a disease in the cells, which he called leukemia. The white cells that were infected with the disease effected the functions carried out by cells.
In 1855 Virchow disproved Schwann's cell theory involving reproduction that cells are created by a fluid. Virchow concluded all cells are made of other cells.
