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Robert Hooke looked at plant cells beneath a microscope and commented that the the shape of the cells reminded him of monks' cells in a monastary. Thus the term "cell" now described the smalled unit of life.
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von Leeuwenhock built his own microscope and used it to observe pond water. Here he saw the first living single-celled animals, later known as protozoa. He also used his microscope to look at red blood cells.
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A German botanist, Matthias Jakob Schleiden studed many species of plants and their tissues. He makes the first generalized statement about cells.
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A German psysiologist, Theodor Schwann studied animal tissues and made the second general statement regarding cells: all animals are composed of cells. Here, he stated that animals and plants are fundamentally the same. He also compiled all statements regarding cells into one, succint theory: The Cell Theory.
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Human reproduction is caused by the fusion of two cells.
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Carl Heinrich Braun updates the Cell Theory
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Adding the final part of the Cell Theory, Virchow observed diseased tissue and normal tissue and determined that cells can divide to produce more cells
