Cork cells. 17th-century illustration of cells from a sample of cork wood, as seen under a microscope by English natural philosopher Robert Hooke (1635-1703). Hooke pioneered the new science of microscopy and published detailed drawings of observations made with his microscopes. This illustration appeared in his 'Micrographia' (1665). The term cells was coined by Hooke in this work, describing the pores observed in the cork. Hooke was one of the founding fellows (1663) of the Royal Society, and served as its Curator of Experiments and Secretary.