HISTORY OF CELL BIOLOGY

*Aristotle concluded that all the animals and plants are formed of
repeating elements. He is commonly called "Father of Biology."
*Robert Hooke (1665), an English botanist, observed thin sections
of cork of bark of a tree under a self-designed compound
microscope and noticed honey-comb like compartments (Fig. 1). He
coined them as cells. Term cell was derived from a Latin word
cellula a little room. He explained his observations in a book
namely, Micrographia. He actually observed the rigid cell walls of
dead cells.
*Anton von Leeuwenhoek. (1674), a Dutch draper, was first to
observe living cells like bacteria (from tartar of teeth), erythrocytes
(of a fish), human sperms (were called animalcules) and protozoans
(eg. Vorticella).*
•N. Grew (1682) proposed cell concept which states that cell is unit
structure of organisms.
*Dutrochet (1824) concluded that in the organisms, the cells are
held together by certain cohesive forces.
*Robert Brown (1831): Discovered the nucleus in the root cells of
orchid plant.
* E Dujardin (1835) observed a semifluid and homogeneous
material in certain protozoans and muscle cells. He called it.
*Purkinje (1839) Gave the term protoplasm for the jelly-like
semifluid material of the cell.
*M. J. Schleidin (1838) and Theodore Schwann (1839): Proposed the
cell theory which states that the basic structural and functional unit
of all the plants and animals is cell. It proposed de novo (atresh)
formation of new cells.
*Rudolf Virchow (1858), a German physiologist, proposed Theory of
Cell Lineage which states "omnis cellule e cellula" which means
that new cells are formed from the pre-existing cells.
*Knoll and Ruska (1932) of Germany designed the electron
microscope which was employed to study the ultrastructure (fine
structure) of cell and various cell organelles in 1940s. In this,
source of illumination is an electron beam produced by a tungston
filament, while the lens employed are electromagnetic lenses.