Cell Theory

1. Cell Theory The work of Hans & Zacharia Janssen, Robert Hooke, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Matthias Schleiden, Theodor Schwann, Rudolph Virchow and others led to the development of the Cell Theory.

2. Hans & Zacharias Janssen1590 They were father and son team who were Dutch lens grinders. They developed the first compound microscope.

3. Robert Hooke1665 Hooke was an English scientist. He looked at a thin slice of cork through a compound microscope. He observed tiny, hollow, room-like structures. He called these structures “cells” because they reminded him of the rooms that monks lived in.

4. Anton van Leeuwenhoek1680 Van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch fabric merchant and amateur scientist. He looked at blood, rainwater, and scraping from teeth through a simple microscope. He observed living cells and called some of them “animalcules”. Some of the ‘animalcules’ are now called bacteria.

5. Matthias Schleiden1838 Schleiden was a German botanist. He viewed plant parts under a microscope. He discovered that plant parts are made of cells.

6. Theodor Schwann1839 Schwann was a German zoologist. He viewed animal parts under a microscope. He discovered that animal parts are made of cells.

7. Rudolph Virchow1855 Virchow was a German physician. He stated that all living cells come only from other living cells.

8. Current Cell Theory The Cell Theory States: • All living things are composed of cells. • They are made of one of more cells. • Cells are the basic unit of structure and function in living things. • Cells carry out all life activities. • All Cells are produced from other cells.