The cellular structure of wildlife was revealed to mankind shortly after the invention of the microscope. In 1590, a device manufactured by Z. Jansen brought scientific research to a new round. The history of the discovery of the cell began from that moment. Scientists of that time long approached the knowledge of the structure of all living things, until the greatest discovery occurred. The plant cell was first seen and studied by the English botanist and physicist Robert Hooke in 1665. On sections of the cork tree, he discovered unusual structures similar in appearance to bee honeycombs. He called them cells. But R. Hook was deeply mistaken in his research, suggesting that the cells themselves are empty, and their walls are living matter.
Further development of optics led to more advanced models of microscopes. It was with the help of the latest lenses that the Dutchman Antonio van Levenguk was able to discern how the animal cell works. He left the results of his research on paper in the form of simple drawings, depicting on them what he saw through a microscope. He described bacteria, sperm, as well as red blood cells and their movement in the capillaries. But even despite the research of scientists, for a long time the question remained unresolved - are the cells really the basis of the structure of all living organisms. And only in 1838 - 1839 the botanist M. Schleiden and zoologist T. Schwann were able to give an answer to it. They formulated the basic postulates of the cellular theory, which existed to this day with minor changes, adjusted by the latest scientific discoveries.
So, German scientists, analyzing the data available to them, were able to determine that absolutely all plant and animal organisms consist of cells. Moreover, each plant and animal cell individually is an independent unit, living in harmonious unity with the whole organism. But their conclusions were not entirely correct. However, the history of the study of cells is full of similar incidents. After some time, their compatriot R. Virkhov was able to prove that every cell is derived from another cell, and the assumption about the origin of cellular matter from nowhere put forward by its predecessors is, to put it mildly, erroneous.
The animal cell has been simultaneously studied in many countries. So, even before the formation of cellular theory, the English botanist R. Brown discovered the essential component of each cell - the nucleus. And in 1895, T. Boveri was able to see through a microscope and describe the bodies lying near the nucleus, which were called centrioles. In 1890, the scientist R. Altman described two-membered organelles called mitochondria. In his opinion, the main function of mitochondria was to provide cells with energy. And, surprisingly, this assumption turned out to be true and was confirmed by many years of research.
Then, over a long period of time, the scientific brethren improved the arrangement of microscopes, which made it possible to more closely study the structure of the cell. Periodically, scientific discoveries occurred that corrected the existing cellular theory. But a real biological breakthrough occurred only after the commissioning of electronic microscopes. K. Porter in 1945 was able to detect and describe the endoplasmic reticulum (reticulum), with the help of which the animal cell synthesizes protein, sugars and lipids. Later, in 1955, with the help of a light microscope, lysosomes were studied - special spherical structures providing for the cleavage of biopolymers and containing various proteolytic enzymes.
The study of animal cells is based on the principle of "from simple to complex." Modern research methods allow us to fully study the elements of DNA, the composition of protoplasm, and much more. Therefore, with the development of technology, the opportunity arises to cognize the arrangement of the living world. Namely, this is what the human mind strives for.