Question

Who proposed the protoplasmic theory as opposed to the cell theory?
A. Virchow
B. Schultze
C. Sachs
D. Strasburger

Answer 1

Hint: The theory was proposed by a German microscopic anatomist who provided the first accurate description of the platelets.

Complete answer:
Though it has been stated in the cell theory that cells are the basic units of all the living organisms, it failed to explain clearly how the new cells arise. Max Schultze explained this in terms of protoplasm and proposed protoplasmic theory as opposed to the cell theory.

Additional information:
According to the protoplasmic theory given by Max Schultze, all the living matter, of which the plants and animals are formed, is formed from the protoplasm. He also defined a cell in terms of protoplasm as ‘a mass of protoplasm with or without a cell wall’. To get enough information about the cells, he worked in collaboration with a German biologist and a doctor, Fritz Muller. Using the concepts of animal sarcode as proposed by F.Dujardin, he studied many vegetable protoplasms and after confirming their identity, included them under the common name protoplasm. The Cell theory, given by Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden, states that cells are the basic unit of life and all the living things are composed of one or more cells and it has also been stated that new cells arise from pre-existing cells.

So, the correct answer is ‘Schultze’.

Note: Virchow is well known for his significant contributions towards the cell theory and was the first scientist who agreed that new cells arise from the pre-existing cells. Strasburger mainly worked on plant cells and provided detailed information about the embryonic sac in gymnosperms and flowering plants. While doing microscopic studies of different plant tissues, he also proposed the modern laws of plant cytology.