Question

The living cells were discovered by
A. Robert Hooke
B. Purkinje
C. Leeuwenhoek
D. Robert Brown

Answer 1

The cell is the structural and functional unit of life. The first living cell to be observed under a microscope were bacteria and protozoa that lay the foundation of bacteriology and protozoology.

Complete step by step answer:
Analysis of every option;
A. Robert Hooke was an English physicist who is mainly known for formulating the law of elasticity. His contribution to biology was that he coined the term 'cell' when he first observed the cavities between the honeycomb structure of cork under his microscope. He had also studied microscopic fossils and contributed to the concept of evolution.
B. Johann Evangelist Purkinje was a Czech physiologist and anatomist who first coined the term 'protoplasm'. He is also known for the discovery of large neurons with heavily branched dendrites found in the cerebellum, called the Purkinje cells, and electrical impulse conducting fibrous tissue found in the heart, that connects the artrio-ventricular nodes to the rest of the body, called Purkinje fibers in his honor.
C. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch microscopist who first observed bacteria and protozoa under his self-made microscope. He called these organisms animalcules and also managed to determine their sizes under the simple microscope.
D. Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist who discovered the nucleus of the cell along with the random movement of microscopic particles referred to as Brownian motion.
Hence the correct answer is option C.

Note: Leeuwenhoek observed animalcules from different sources like pond and well water, rainwater, human saliva, and intestine. Animalcules are microscopic living organisms that can only be observed via microscopes. Some groups of bacteria are still referred to as animalcules.