German zoologist and cytologist who defined the cell as a mass of protoplasm with a nucleus (1861) and recognized protoplasm, with its nucleus, as a fundamental substance found in both plants and animals.

Schultze was lecturer in anatomy at the University of Halle but left in 1859 to accept a chair at the University of Bonn, becoming director of the Anatomical Institute there in 1872. He was an outstanding histologist, introducing several new techniques including the use of osmic acid for staining fine details of cells. His scientific writings included important monographs on the nerve endings of such sense organs as the internal ear (1858), the nose (1863), and the retina of the eye (1866). Schultze also founded the journal Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie in 1865 and served as its editor until his death.