Robert Hooke was the first to describe cells in 1655 after observing cork through a microscope. He described them as "little boxes" or "little rooms". Rudolf Virchow and Matthias Schleidan/Theodor Swann collaborated to establish the Cell Theory, which states that (1) all organisms are made of one or more cells (2) cells are the basic unit of living things and (3) cells only come from preexisting cells. Cells remain small because surface area to volume ratios limit their growth to efficiently exchange materials.