Schwann, Theodor (1810-1882), a German scientist, showed that all living things are made of cells. He was inspired by fellow German scientist Matthias Schleiden, who demonstrated that plants are made of cells. Schwann suspected that animals and plants developed in similar ways. In 1838, he confirmed that animals are also made of cells and that living things grow and develop when cells multiply. Schwann opposed the then popular belief that a mysterious life force made living things different from other material. Instead, he argued that life can be explained by physical and chemical laws alone.
Schwann believed that life processes should be investigated through carefully designed experiments. In the 1830’s, he performed studies of muscle contraction, digestion, and fermentation. Fermentation is a biological process involved in the breakdown of certain organic materials (see Fermentation). Schwann proposed that tiny living things cause fermentation, a fact later confirmed by the French scientist Louis Pasteur.
Schwann was born in Neuss, in what is now Germany, on Dec. 7, 1810. He studied medicine at the University of Bonn, earning his medical degree in 1834. In 1839, he became a professor of anatomy in Louvain, Belgium. Schwann was a devoted Roman Catholic who thought deeply about the relationship between science and religion. His most important book was Microscopical Researches (1839). After 1839, he concentrated on teaching. Schwann died on Jan. 11, 1882.
See also Schleiden, Matthias Jakob.
