Though Robert Hooke coined the term ‘cell’, Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden are accredited with the first cell theory for their work in the 1830s.
The cell theory states that living things are composed of cells, be it unicellular or multicellular; cells are the basic unit of life and cells arise from existing cells. Although Schleiden and Schwann proposed that cells arise through spontaneous generation, this was proven wrong.
The accepted tenets of modern cell theory are as follows:
1. Cells are the fundamental units of structure and function in all living things.
2. All organisms are made up of one or more cells.
3. Cells arise from pre-existing cells through cellular division.
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