Cell Theory Timeline

  • Robert Hooke

    Robert Hooke
    In 1665 he first observed a cell by "cutting the of cork he discovered empty spaces continued by walls..". Hooke recorded all of his drawings and observations which disproved all other theories because of his proof
  • Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek

    Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
    In 1674 Leenuwenhoek was the first person to observe a cell under a microscope. Because of being in the textile business, he learned how to make his own unique microscopes which offered "unparalleled" magnification. After drawing and writing down his new observations, he then later discovered protozoa, bacterias, sperm, nematodes, and later went into the study of wood and crystals.
  • Robert Brown

    Robert Brown
    On November 1, 1831, he was the first to discover a nucleus in a plant call after scrutinizing a collection of orchids with his microscope. He came to understand the opaque spot in which he called "the areola" was in fact the nucleus.
  • Theodor Schwann

    Theodor Schwann
    On January 1, 1838 Schwann established that the cell was the basic unit of all living things. He postulated that although there are many different types of cells, all cells are structured similarly. He assisted with Johannes Mueller and later confronted him on his "vitalistic" theories of how the systems of the body (nervous system, digestive, etc)
  • Matthias Jakob Schleidan

    Matthias Jakob Schleidan
    In 1839 As a botanist, his theory of "phylogenesis" and using the same studies of schwann plus his own, he came to conclude that cells and their nuclei are the essential building blocks of plants which start in the embryo.
  • Rudolf Virchow

    Rudolf Virchow
    In 1855, after basing his work off of Robert Remak, he analyzed effects of disease in various organs and tissues of the human body and concluded that disease is caused by malfunctioning of cells. Virchow took Remak's notes and bounced his own ideas which turned into observations that Virchow later used them for lectures and publicized editorial journals.