Cytology is the branch of biology that studies cells, the building blocks of life. The name for this science is translated from kytos, the Greek term for "cavity." Cytology's roots travel back to 1665, when British botanist Robert Hooke, examining a cross-section of cork, gave the spaces the name "cells," meaning "little rooms" or "cavities."

Cytology's birth as a science occurred in 1839 with the first accurately conceived cell theory. This theory maintains that all organisms plants and animals alike -- are comprised of one or more like units called cells. Each of these units individually contain all the properties of life, and are the cornerstone of virtually all living organisms. Further, cell theory states that hereditary traits are passed on from generation to generation via cell division. Cell division generally has a regular, timed cyclical period during which the cell grows, divides or dies. Virtually all cells perform biochemical...