Cell Theory Timeline

Aristotle

384 BCE

Contributed to cell theory by his dissection of animals and also his rudimentary system of organizing organisms into classifications. His work helped dissuade people from spontaneous generation due to its recognition that there are similarities between all organisms.

Zacharias Jansen

Dec 31, 1590

Zacharias Jansen created the first microscope in 1590. This invention allowed scientist to be able to look at small organisms that are not visible to the human eye. Because of this discovery, cell theory was enabled and spontaneous generation began to be debunked.

Jan Baptist van Helmont

Dec 31, 1605

Helmont worked elements. He specifically believed that as a plant grows, all of its added weight was in water. This contributed to cell theory by showing that he had some understanding that organisms seemed to have the common base of water. It further debunked spontaneous generation by saying that things cannot simply appear out of nowhere, and that they have to have some kind of source.

Robert Hooke

Dec 31, 1665

He discovered that plants were composed of square boxes in 1665. Naming them boxes cells, he contributed to cell theory. By contributing to cell theory, he was acting against the idea of spontaneous generation.

Anton van Leeuweoek

Dec 31, 1674

He was capable of inventing a lens that was able to magnify by 270%. With this, scientist were capable of examining some of the smallest kinds of organisms. This contributed to cell theory because of that. In addition, it helped go against spontaneous generation because with this invention, scientist were able to make more discoveries of the things that make up organisms.

Lorenz Oken

Dec 31, 1802

He created a classification for animals based off their evolutionary path. This classification recognized similarities between all organisms, which eventually led to cells being the building blocks of life. This recognition contributed tot eh idea of cell theory. Though, because this classification recognized evolution and similarities, it further went against spontaneous generation.

Robert Brown

Dec 31, 1827

Brown mainly studied plant cells through a microscope. He went on to discover the nucleus and its role in the cell. These discoveries added support and evidence to cell theory. By adding such evidence to cell theory, it further went against the though that animals often randomly spawned, like in spontaneous generation.

Theodor Schwann

Dec 31, 1837

He with the help of other scientist worked on cell theory. He was the main contributor in invalidating spontaneous generation, which ed to the third principle of cell theory.

Matthias Schleiden

Dec 31, 1838

Schleiden was one of the main contributors in the creation of cell theory, he and other scientist worked together to bring all the information about cells made by scientist in the past. This contribution to science further went against the idea of spontaneous generation by bringing together all the information that could disprove it at the time.

Rudolf Virchow

Dec 31, 1839

By using cell theory he was able to describe the origin of diseases and pathogens. He said that diseases rose in individual cells, the spread to other. This strengthened cell theory by not only following but adding more information to it. This further went against spontaneous generation due to its recognition of cells.

Albrecht von Roelliker

Dec 31, 1847

He found that muscle was made up of specific muscle cells, and that they operated differently from other cells.This discovery helped add more information into cell theory and thus further debunked spontaneous generation.

Louis Pasteur

Dec 31, 1850

His discoveries helped him to create the theory that all life comes from pre-existing life. This further proved the third principle of cell theory. This theory also strongly went against spontaneous generation.