Discovery of the Cell
Robert Hooke in 1665 observed slices of cork under a simple magnifying device. Cork is a part of the bark of a tree. He took thin slices of cork and observed them under a microscope. He noticed partitioned boxes or compartments in the cork slice. These boxes appeared like a honeycomb. He also noticed that one box was separated from the other by a wall or partition. Hooke coined the term ‘cell’ or each box. What Hooke observed as boxes or cells in the cork were actually dead cells. Cells of living organisms could be observed only after the discovery of
improved microscopes. Very little was known about the cell for the next 150 years after Robert Hooke’s observations. Today, we know a lot about cell structure and its functions because of
improved microscopes having high magnification.
Notes
Cell - Structure and Functions - Notes
3. Comparison of Plant and Animal Cells
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