Cell Theory

  • Robert Hooke

    Robert Hooke
    Hooke discovered honey-comb like structures when observing a cork slice using a primitive compound microscope. He was observing the cell walls because it was dead tissue. He decided to call what he saw a "cell" because what he observed was little individual compartments. He is credited for discovering the plant cell. Before his discovery, there was one common theory of Spontaneous Generation, this was the belief that everything came from inanimate matter. He disproved this theory and others.
  • Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek

    Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
    Leeuwenhoek was observing pond water with a microscope and described the cells he saw. He is credited with being the first to clearly observe human red blood and sperm cells using a microscope. He was able to add to Hooke's observations by discovering that there are red blood cells and sperm cells, not just cells that make up a non-living substance. Therefore, he discovered that organisms are made up of cells, not just objects, such as a cork.
  • Robert Brown

    Robert Brown
    Brown discovered the nucleus in plant cells. He observed the cells using a microscope and studied every aspect of the plant, including how the cells worked together. This contributed to Hooke and Leeuwenhoek's previous observations concerning the plant cells because he further explained the cell by discovering what controlled it.
  • Matthias Jakob Schleiden

    Matthias Jakob Schleiden
    Schleiden said that all plant tissues are composed of cells and that embryonic plants come from a single cell. He observed these cells using a microscope. He is also credited with the first generalized statement about cells which is: cells are the basic building blocks of all plants. He added to take Hooke, Leewenheok, and Brown's discoveries by gathering all their observations and composing one broad statement about cells.
  • Theodore Schwann

    Theodore Schwann
    Schwann discovered that both plant and animal tissue is made up of cells using a microscope. This shot down previous ideas that plants and animals were made up of different structures. He also pulled together all the cell facts from previous scholars and composed the cell theory containing: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. He was able to add to Schlseiden's first general statement about cells.
  • Rudolph Virchow

    Rudolph Virchow
    Virchow is given credit with adding the third idea to the cell theory. His theory states that all cells develop only from exciting cells. He original theory was in Greek and stated: omnis cellular e cellula. He was also the first to propose that diseased cells develop from healthy cells. He added to Schwann's first two statements that made up the cell theory. He used his and previous scholars observations to make these discoveries.
  • Bibliography

    "Cell Theory Timeline." Cell Theory Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
    "Cell Theory." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. <http://blogs.ua.es/posicioneshumanismo/files/2014/12/Animalcules_observed_by_anton_van_leeuwenhoek_c1795_1228575.jpg N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. http://www.pathologie.uni-wuerzburg.de/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_VA-Zellen06_53fae31b83.jpg.
  • Bibliography

    Science-Of-Aging. "The 1600s - Explaining Life before Cell Theory." The 1600s - Explaining Life before Cell Theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. "What Discoveries Did Matthias Schleiden Make?" Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
  • Bibliography

    "Theodor Schwann." Encyclopedia of World Biography., "Schwann, Theodor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.., "Schwann, Theodor." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences., and "Schwann, Theodor." A Dictionary of Biology. "Theodor Schwann." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
  • Bibliography

    N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. http://chestofbooks.com/reference/The-New-Student-s-Reference-Work-Vol1/images/pp0396-1.pncells+. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. http://thegreatestgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/animal-and-plant-cells-are-prokaryotic-or-eukaryotic.png. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016. https://www.science-of-aging.com/timelines/images/remak-cell-division.jpg. "What Did Robert Brown Contribute to Cell Theory?" Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016.Science-Of-Aging.