Learn about scientist Theodor Schwann. Understand what Theodor Schwann discovered, read about his contribution to cell theory, and explore his other accomplishments.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Theodor Schwann | Biography, Discovery & Contributions
Table of Contents
- Who was Theodor Schwann?
- What Did Theodor Schwann Discover?
- Schwann's Contribution to Cell Theory
- Other Contributions
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Theodor Schwann discover in the cell theory?
Theodor Schwann provided the framework for what became known as the cell theory. Theodor Schwann, a German zoologist, discovered that all animals were composed of cells.
What is the significant contribution of Theodor Schwann?
Schwann went on to make many profound discoveries in science including the discovery of the enzyme pepsin, spontaneous generation, and identifying the role of microbes in fermentation. Schwann is most famous for his role in the development of cell theory.
What did Theodor Schleiden discover?
Theodor Schwann made numerous contributions to science that include discovery of the enzyme pepsin, spontaneous generation, and identifying the role of microbes in fermentation. Schwann is most famous for his role in the development of cell theory.
Table of Contents
- Who was Theodor Schwann?
- What Did Theodor Schwann Discover?
- Schwann's Contribution to Cell Theory
- Other Contributions
- Lesson Summary
Theodor Schwann, a German zoologist, was born on December 7, 1810 in Neuss, Germany. Schwann attended Tricoronatum in Cologne, Germany. It was here that he became influenced by religious doctrines and became a devout Roman Catholic for life. At the age of 18, Schwann attended the University of Bonn where he he began studying medicine and natural sciences. It was during this time he met Johannes Muller, a pioneer in anatomy and physiology. Schwann began his clinical training in Wurzburg in 1831, and in 1833 he rejoined Johannes Muller as his doctoral student at the University of Berlin. One year later, Schwann received his MD and became Muller's research assistant. Schwann went on to make many profound discoveries in science including the discovery of the enzyme pepsin, provided evidence against spontaneous generation, and identifying the role of microbes in fermentation. Theodor Schwann is most famous for his role in the development of cell theory.
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Schwann's most profound work happened during his first 4 years in Berlin working with Muller. It was during this time, Schwann ran experiments to collect data for Muller's book, Elements of Physiology. In 1835, he began running experiments to study the digestive process. Schwann discovered that in addition to hydrochloric acid, there were other substances that aided in digestion. By 1836, Schwann was able to isolate that substance and named it pepsin. Following this discovery, Schwann carried out numerous experiments to study fermentation. He concluded that the conversion of sugar to alcohol during fermentation require yeast and was not due to the oxidation of sugar. This opinion was widely opposed and only became accepted after Louis Pasteur's work decades later. Finally, when Schwann was studying the nervous system, he began studying the nerve cell in more depth. During his studies, he discovered that the nerve cells were wrapped with cells that help allow nerve signals to be transmitted. These cells were named after him and called Schwann cells. Sometimes they are referred to as neurilemma cells, which describes their function.
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By the 19th century, scientists started to take a deeper look at plant and animal tissue and thus began to improve the cell theory. Two scientists who contributed to the cell theory were Theodor Schwann and Mattias Schleiden. Their work identified the key differences between plant and animal cells. Schwann's studies on the notochord led him to determine that plants and animals were made of cells and cell products. Schwann concluded three things that became vital components of the cell theory. First, Schwann concluded that both plants and animals were composed of cells. Second, these cells have independent lives. Third, these independent lives are subject to the organism's life. The cell theory contains three fundamental ideas:
- All organisms are made up of one or more cells.
- Cells are the basic unit of structure and organization of organisms.
- New cells come from preexisting cells.
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Theodor Schwann made numerous contributions to science beyond his work with cell theory. Schwann provided evidence against spontaneous generation, which states that life originates from nonliving organisms, through experiments with sterilization. Prior to this, scientists believed that spontaneous generation was responsible for the emergence of microorganisms. Schwann was convinced this idea was incorrect. In his experiment, he exposed sterilized broth to heated air in a test tube. The results showed that no microorganisms were detected, and no chemical changes occurred within the broth; therefore, allowing him to conclude that the idea of spontaneous generation is false.
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Additionally, with the encouragement of Muller, Schwann began studying muscle tissue. It was these studies that helped him make major contributions to histology. Schwann began researching muscle contraction and discovered that striated muscle tissue forms the upper portion of the esophagus. These studies in 1835 allowed Schwann to develop an experimental method to calculate the contraction force of a muscle. Schwann also grouped animal tissues into five groups based on similarities and differences.
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Theodor Schwann was born on December 7, 1810 in Neuss, Germany. Schwann went on to attend many prominent universities where he eventually received his MD while studying under Johannes Muller. Muller's mentorship proved to be invaluable and led Schwann to go on to make numerous discoveries within the scientific world. Schwann is most famous for his contributions to the cell theory. Schwann concluded three things that became vital components of the cell theory. First, Schwann concluded that both plants and animals were composed of cells. Second, these cells have independent lives. Third, these independent lives are subject to the organism's life. The cell theory contains three fundamental ideas:
- All organisms are made up of one or more cells.
- Cells are the basic unit of structure and organization of organisms.
- New cells come from preexisting cells.
In addition to Schwann's contributions to the cell theory, he went on to discover that in addition to hydrochloric acid (HCl), there were other substances that aided in digestion, which led him to identify and isolate the enzyme pepsin. Furthermore, Schwann went on to disprove the idea of spontaneous generation by showing that life cannot originate from nonliving things through his sterilization experiment. Prior to his sterilization experiment, scientists believed that microorganisms arose from nonliving matter. Schwann discovered that the nerve cells were wrapped with cells that help allow nerve signals to be transmitted. These cells were named after him and called Schwann cells and are sometimes referred to as neurilemma cells, which describes their function. Furthermore, Schwann researched muscle contraction and discovered that striated muscle tissue forms the upper portion of the esophagus.
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Video Transcript
Theodor Schwann
There has been a plethora of scientists over recent centuries. Some make small contributions to science, while others make a much bigger impact in science. One scientist that has had a very long-lasting and profound impact in science is Theodor Schwann. He was a prized German scientist with many discoveries and contributions under his belt. Let's discuss some of those now.
Schwann's Discoveries
Theodor Schwann focused his studies for many years on the body as an anatomist and physiologist. The next time you're enjoying your favorite meal, he might pop into your mind. That's because he discovered an enzyme in the stomach called pepsin. Pepsin is very instrumental to the digestion of proteins in the stomach. Prior to Schwann's discovery, scientists were only aware of hydrochloric acid being present in the stomach to cause digestion of food.
Adults all over the world enjoy drinking alcohol in the form of wine, beer, and spirits. It was Theodor Schwann that discovered what's required for sugar to ferment, or turn into alcohol. It was thought that the process of sugar fermentation occurred due to the loss of electrons during a chemical reaction. Well, Schwann discovered that fermentation actually occurs due to yeast converting the sugar into alcohol. This caused changes in more places than just the science community. The process of fermentation using yeast is still used today.
One of his other discoveries isn't one you would readily think about, but it pointed to some cells that are very pertinent in allowing your brain to communicate with your body and vice versa. When Schwann was studying the nervous system, he of course observed the nerve cells that other scientists had also seen. But he looked beyond viewing the nerve cell as one cell and studied it closer. This is how he discovered the cells that are wrapped around the nerve cells that help allow nerve signals to be transmitted. These cells were named after him and therefore called, Schwann cells. You may also hear them called neurilemma cells as well which basically describes their function.
Cell Theory
Outside of having cells named after him, he's most notoriously known for his part in the cell theory. This is the theory that states that ''all living organisms are made up of cells and all cells come from pre-existing cells.'' Now, Schwann doesn't get credit for the entire cell theory, but he did earn his credit for the first part of the theory.
Several other scientists already discovered various types of cells, to include plant, bacterial, and blood cells. So the science community was aware that cells existed. These discoveries remained rather independent, though, and no one put together the big picture.
Schwann was studying the notochord, which is a skeletal-like structure in the back that directs development in embryos. He chose to view the nuclei of cells from the notochord and compared those to nuclei from plant cells. There were many similarities. From here, Schwann used the theory that another scientist named Matthias Schleiden proposed, which states that plant cells share a common structure and are all derived from the nuclei of old plant cells. Schwann proposed that the same is true for animal cells. He wrote a book where he introduced his ''Cell Theory'', stating that all animals and plants are composed of cells. The last part of the cell theory was added on by another scientist about 17 years later.
Schwann's Contributions
Schwann had a couple other contributions to science that you are likely familiar with. There was once a point in time that people believed that living organisms spontaneously appeared from non-living things. This thought was called spontaneous generation of life theory. This probably sounds ridiculous to think that people actually thought that frogs were generated to life from mud or flies from meat. Well, it didn't sound right to Schwann either!
He carried out several experiments where he killed all microbes in containers of broth and sterilized the air above it so that it didn't contain any microbes. He covered the containers and, of course, nothing spontaneously grew out of the broth. This proved that living things do not come from non-living things, thus disproving the once widely accepted spontaneous generation of life theory.
There is one more contribution that Schwann made to science and humanity. He viewed different types of tissues in animals under the microscope and made notes about their similarities and differences. He then categorized the tissues based on his observations. He came up with five distinct groups of tissues. His categorization gave rise to identification and further classification of specific tissue types.
Lesson Summary
He did a lot with his life! Let's recap what we learned. Theodor Schwann was a prized German scientist with many discoveries and contributions. His discoveries include:
- Pepsin - an enzyme in the stomach that digests proteins
- Fermentation- conversion of sugar into alcohol; requires yeast in order to occur
- Schwann cells, also called neurilemma cells - cells wrapped around nerve cells that help allow nerve signals to be transmitted
He did research and proposed the first portion of the Cell Theory - 'All living organisms are made up of cells, and all cells come from pre-existing cells.'
His other major contributions include:
- Disproving the spontaneous generation of life theory that stated that living organisms spontaneously appeared from non-living things
- Classified tissues in animals into groups based on similarities and differences
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Theodor Schwann | Biography, Discovery & Contributions
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