Cell Theory Timeline

  • Hooke Theory

    Hooke Theory
    Contribution: Contributed the term "cell" to biology and described them as small empty chambers after observing a thin piece of cork under the microscope and seeing many small hollow chambers. Prior to Hooke's discovery cells were not known to exist therefore people did not know what things were made up of
  • Leeuwenhoek Theory

    Leeuwenhoek Theory
    Contribution: Discovered single celled organisms therefore he found out that cells are living. he made this discovery by observing pond water under a microscope and he saw these organism.
  • Brown Theory

    Brown Theory
    Contribution: Brown discovered that plant cells all contain a nucleus inside by observing the cells of orchids under a microscope and finding these nuclei within the plant cells. Browns discovery expanded the cell theory because before his findings cells were living but they were also thought to be hollow
  • Schleiden Theory

    Schleiden Theory
    Contribution: Schleiden found that all plants are made up of cells. He found this out by observing plants under a microscope and he found that the cells were all together and were parts of the plant. Schleiden added on to the cell theory because before his discovery it was not known that cells made up the tissue in plants.
  • Schwann Theory

    Schwann Theory
    Contribution: Schwann discovered that all living things are made of cells, he did this by looking at animal tissue under a microscope and he found cells located within it just as in plants, Schwann helped progress the cell theory by expanding the thought that not only plants contained cells but all living things as well.
  • Virchow Theory

    Virchow Theory
    Contribution: Virchow discovered that new cells form from already existing cells he did this by studying how diseased cell are made. Virchow expanded the cell theory dramatically because before his discovery cells were thought to be formed from a fluid known as blastemal.