Meet the Scientists
Developing the Cell Theory
• The cell is a basic building block of living
things, both plant and animal.
Cell Theory
• All living things are made up of cells.
• Cells are the smallest working units of all
living things.
• All cells come from preexisting cells
through cell division.
Tool used to view cells
All living things have cells.
• Plants
• Animals
Timeline - 1590
• Hans and Zacharias Janssen (1590),
Dutch lens grinders, father and son.
Produced first compound microscope (2
lenses).
Timeline- 1665
• Robert Hooke (1665), English Scientist,
looked at a thin slice of cork through a
compound microscope and observed tiny,
hollow room like structures. He called
them cells, but only saw the outer cell
walls because the cork cells were not
alive.
Timeline-1680
• Anton van Leeuwenhook (1680), Dutch
Amateur Scientist, looked at blood, rain
water and scrapings from teeth through a
simple microscope. He called these
bacteria, animalcules. Bacteria are
Prokaryotic
Timeline-1838
• Matthias Schleiden (1838), German
Botanist, viewed plant parts under a
microscope and discovered that they are
made of cells. Plants are Eukaryotic
Timeline-1839
• Theodor Schwann (1839), German
Zoologist, viewed animals parts under a
microscope and discovered that they are
made of cells. Animals are Eukaryotic.
Timeline- 1855
• Rudolph Virchow (1855), German
Physician, stated that living cells come
only from other living cells.