A Brief Life Sketch of Robert Brown

Robert Brown was an eminent Scottish botanist who lived during the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. After completing his studies in medicine at the University of
Edinburgh in Scotland he joined the army as a surgeon at the young age of 22 years.

Discovery of the Cell Nucleus

The term cell nucleus was used by Robert Brown for the first time in 1831 in a paper to
the Linnean Society and it was published in 1833. At the time of publishing he did not
realize that cell nucleus was present in cells other than those belonging to plants.

While he was scrutinizing the epidermis of a collection of orchids with his microscope,
Brown found that the cells contained an opaque spot. He used the term areola to
describe them. They had been seen by other scientists previously who most likely
regarded them as insignificant

But Brown was not to ignore this specific observation and he further noted that the spot
was not limited to the epidermis as it could also be observed during the early stage of
pollen formation. He sensed that this spot was a key component of cells and called
them "nucleus" - a term which is still being used today