DEVELOPMENT OF CELL THEORY

Aside from Hooked, Leeuwenhoek, Schleiden, and Virchow, many other

scientists worked on the study of cells which led to the development of the cell
theory. In this timeline, we shall recognize these individuals and their
contributions.

1590 Dutch spectacle-maker Zacharias Janssen invented a primitive microscope with

the help of his father, Hans. This microscope would later be used by Marcello
Malpighi and Robert Hooke.

1663 Using Janssen’s type of microscope Robert Hooke viewed a thin slice of cork
where he found hollow, small structures which reminded him of cellulae used by
monks. He called these structures, “cells”.

1665-1676 Italian scientist Marcelo Malpighi and English botanist Nehemiah Grew
conducted separated investigations on plant cells. They determine the presence
of the organelles within its cells.

1670-1683 Anton van Leeuwenhoke upgraded Janssen’s microscope and produced

his
own lens. Some of his lenses could magnify objects up to 270x diameters. With
this invention, he discovered mobile organelles in many subjects, which he called
“animalcules”.

1831 Previous discoveries mostly dealt with cells in general. Then Scottish botanist
Robert
Brown made a series of discoveries about cell organelles and ultimately
discovered the nucleus. This became a major breakthrough in the history of
biology.

1838 Matthias Schleiden microscopically examined plants and recognized that plant
parts come from cells. In his writings in Contributions to Phyto genesis, he
proposed that the different structures of a plant are all composed of cells.

1839 Prompted by his discussions with Schleiden, Theodore Schwann declared that
animals are likewise composed of cells. This put an end to the debates-whether
or not plants and animals are different in structural origin and composition.

1840 With the aid of more powerful microscopes, Swiss embryologist Albrecht von
Roelliker stated that sperm and egg are composed cells and that all humans are
configured from cells. This initiated the idea that most life forms are made up of
cells and gave the scientific community a flourishing understanding of biology.

1849 While French microbiologist Louis Pasteur was developing fermentation, a

process to kill bacteria, he proved that bacteria are able to multiply and that
bacteria’s cells come from other bacteria cells.
1858 Basing on the data of the previous studies and his own observations on cells,
Rudolf Virchow declared “omnis cellula e cellula” which meant that cells come
from preexisting cells. With this conclusion, the cell theory was completed.