title: A unifying concept: the history of cell theory.
abstract: After the first observations of life under the microscope, it took two centuries of research before the 'cell theory', the idea that all living things are composed of cells or their products, was formulated. It proved even harder to accept that individual cells also make up nervous tissue.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Genetica Biochimica ed Evoluzionistica, CNR, Pavia, Italy. mazzarello@igbe.pv.cnr.it
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mazzarello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D002477:Cells; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000266:history*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000166:cytology