Multiple choice biology cell - the structure and functions cell as structural and functional unit introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery Who first proposed that new cells are formed by the division of preexisting cells? Rudolph Virchow W. Flemming Karl Nageli C.P. Swanson Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself A Correct answer Explanation By carefully observing the process of cell division, Rudolph Virchow in 1858, argued that cells only arose from the division of pre-existing cells.