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Cell Observed
English scientist Robert Hooke discovered the cell in cork slice using a microscope and describing the cell as "a honeycomb-like structure". However, he only saw cell walls of dead tissue. This discovery was the first ever model of the cell. -
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Cell Theory Timeline
In summary, the cell theory is:
-All living things are composed of cells
-Cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things
-All cells are produced from other cells
These statements were created and developed by the ideas and observations of the following scientists from the year 1665-1855 and is still being studied by many scientists today. -
First Living Cells Seen
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch biologist, discovered living cells (unicellular organisms) in pond water under a microscope. Leeuwenhoek also published a letter with drawings of what he saw through the microscope in 1670. This was a great improvement from the last model of the cell because unlike Hooke's discovery, this cell was living. -
Center of Cell Seen
English botanist Robert Brown discovered the nucleus in plant cells. Brown discovered this by observing the cell through a microscope. His discovery improved on the previous model by finding that there is a center of the cell instead of the cell having nothing inside it. -
Basic Building Blocks
Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist, made the first generalized statement about plants which states that all plant tissues are composed of cells, and that cells are the “basic building blocks” of all plants. He discovered this by observation and studying the previous models of the cell. Schleiden's discovery improved the last model because he wrote the first statement of the cell theory while the other scientists just made observations on the cell. -
Cell Theory
Another German botanist, Theodor Schwann, discovered that cells aren’t only in plants, but animal tissue as well. He also organized the previous statement into one theory: 1) Cells are organisms and all organisms consist of one or more cells, and 2) The cell is the basic unit of structure for all organisms. His discovery was made on observation and studies of the previous models of the cell. His discovery improved on the earlier models of the cell because his is the first part of the cell theory -
Third Part of Cell Theory
Rudolph Virchow was a German physiologist/physician/pathologist and also added the third part to the cell theory which stated, “omnis cellula e cellula” which translates to “all cells come from cells.” He was also the first to propose that diseases cells come from healthy cells. His discovery method was also based on observation and studies. His model improved on the others greatly because his completed the cell theory, however he couldn't have done it without the other scientists' discoveries.
