Here's a breakdown:
* Matthias Schleiden (1838) was a botanist who observed that all plants are composed of cells.
* Theodor Schwann (1839), a zoologist, extended this observation to animals, realizing that they too are made of cells.
Together, their work led to the formulation of the Cell Theory, which states:
1. All living organisms are composed of one or more cells.
2. The cell is the basic unit of structure and organization in organisms.
3. All cells arise from pre-existing cells.
While they didn't work in complete isolation, their combined efforts were crucial in establishing this foundational principle of biology.