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Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke discovered the cell. He discovered a honeycomb-like structure within a cork slice using a microscope. Hooke saw cell walls and for each compartment, he called it a cell. Before him, cells weren't even noticed or realized. -
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek discovered the existence of unicellular organisms. He improved the magnification of the microscope from 20x-30x to 270x, and used the microscope to examine pond water. That is when he discovered protists and spirogrya (green algae) which are unicellular organisms. His discovery led to the basis of the cell theory. Before him, people thought everything was made up of several cells and that no organisms were that tiny. -
Robert Brown
Robert Brown discovered the nucleus in plants cells. He accepted an invitation to Australia and discovered many plants. Then he discovered pollen in plants travel in and out of ovals in their cells. This oval was known as a nucleus thus adding to the cell theory. Both Leeuwenhoek and Hooke didn't go as far as what the cell was made of. Everyone thought that cells were as simple and small as anything can get so they weren't made up of anything. -
Matthias Schleiden
Matthias Schleiden discovered that plant tissues are made up of cells. First, he used a microscope to state that all plants are made up of cells. Then, he went further and said that plant embryos grew from single cells. He grew deeper and deeper into this until he came up with his theory that plant tissues are made up of cells. Before him, people didn't think about tissues being made of cells. They thought plants are made of cells and it wasn't any more intricate. -
Theodor Schwann
Theodor Schwann discovered that animal tissues are made up of cells. Schwann studied Schleiden's cell theory on plants. So, with his study of animals proposed a similar theory by looking at animals on a microscopic level. This proved that not only plants have tissues made of cells such as Schleiden's theory. Before Schwann, people thought that only plants had tissues made of cells. -
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolf Virchow discovered that cells originally come from other preexisting cells. He worked with Robert Remak and approved his theory that cell came from preexisting cells. At the time Schleiden and Schwann had their theories implanted in everyone's head so it took a lot of work to take the credit of someone's work and have it to be accepted. However, Virchow's theory proves that cells didn't just appear out of thin air. Before Virchow's theory, people didn't bother to worry about it.
