Cell Theory Timeline

By beepboop512
  • 1543 BCE

    Andreas Vesalius

    Studied anatomy by dissecting humans or cadaver, clarified how cells work to make organs and systems, and showed how "cells are the smallest unit of life"
  • 384 BCE

    Aristotle

    Aristotle
    Did many experiments, first to theorize that each germ came from another, and concluded that each gene has a "definite parent and a similar offspring"

  • Hans and Zacharias Janssen

    Invented the first compound microscope, allowed scientists to cite and observe cells, and, "all living things are made of cells"

  • Robert Hooke

    First person to observe cells, coined the term "cell" while observing a piece of cork, determined cells came from the term cell which is a monk's living quarters, led people to greater understanding of cells and life, came up with, "All living things are made of cells", and that cork is a living thing

  • Francesco Redi

    Disproved the idea of spontaneous generation, thought "all life comes from an egg", and helped shape the idea that "Existing cells come from other cells"

  • Anton von Leeuwenhoek

    Invented a lens for the microscope to magnify 270%, first to see spermotoza and protozoa, and his findings supported cell theory as a whole

  • Jean Baptiste Lamark

    "All living things are made of cells", said that every living body is essencially a mass of cellular tissue, he contributed to the theory of evolution, and proved something in parent cells were passed to their children

  • Lorenz Oken

    Stated, "All living things originate and consist of cells", developed a new system of animal classification based on evolution, and believed in both the ideas that all living organisms have cells and cells are formed by pre-existing cells"

  • Robert Brown

    Observed plant cells, discovered/named the cell nucleus, stressed its importance in reproduction and recognized its significance as an essential organelle.

  • Matthias Schleoden

    Observed plants on a microscopic level, all plant tissues are composed of cells, embryonic plants arise from single cells, cells are the building blocks of plant matter, all plants grew thought the production of new cells, and believed that new cells in plants were formed from the nucleus of old cell (incorrect about purpose but outlined cell theory)

  • Theodor Schwann

    Reached same conclusion as Schleiden but in animals, ended controversy that plants and animals were fundamentally different, and examined the cellular structure in animal cartilage and determined that cells are the basic unit of life

  • Rudolph Virchow

    First to demonstrate that the cell theory applies to both normal and diseased cells, added to the cell theory and strengthened the theory that cells exist from pre-existing cells

  • Louis Pasteur

    Conducted experiments similar to Needham but used it to disprove spontaneous generation, used S shaped beaker to trap microorganisms and prevent them from entering broth, postulated the germ theory which states that microorganisms cause infectious diseases, and proved the cell theory by showing that spontaneous generation does not exist and all cells are formed by pre-existing cells