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Zacharias Janssen
In 1595, Janssen produced the first compound microscope by combining two convex lenses within a tube. Was the first person to create a microscope. Though it was believed that his father helped him invent the compound microscope. Janssen fled Netherlands ecsaping the death penalty when he was caught because he was found using conterfeit coins. -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
In 1663, Leeuwenhoek was able to see an unseen world of living microorganisms. He also improved magnification of microscopes by cleaning lenses, later in 1683; he discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protists, sperm cells, blood cells. Furthermore, he was known to have made over 500 microscopes and to be the "Father of Microbiology." -
Robert Hooke
An English scientist, studied nature by using an early light microscope. He observed dead plant cells, such as a cork cell and discovered the “little boxes” that made up the object which reminded him of monk monasteries and called them cells. Hooke is comparable as England's equivalent to Leonardo da Vinci. One of his other dreams in his life was to redesign London after the Great Fire of 1666 (worked as an architect). Hooke also invented the spring control of the wheel balances in watches. -
Matthias Schleiden
A German Botanist in 1838, concluded that all plants were composed of cells. At first he practiced law at Heidelberg, but pursed his hobby of botany instead. Which then led to him writing his "Contributions to Phytogenesis." -
Theodore Schwann
A German Zoologist, came to the conclusion that all animals are composed of cells too, a year after Schleiden said that all plants were made up of cells. In his early career years, he assisted physiologist Johannes Peter Müller. He also introduced the term metabolism from the chemical changes that take place in living tissue. -
Rudolf Virchow
Virchow was conducting experiments on diseases and noted that all cells came from other existing cells. He also was a public health activist, social reformer, politician, and anthropologist. Virchow recognized leukemia for the first time in history too. -
Louis Pasteur
Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation, said that (and proved) cells can only form from pre-existing cells and not just appear in thin air. To add, Pasteur's work with germs led him to create vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Due to a brain stroke in 1868, he was partially paralyzed, discontinuing his research.
