The work discusses the evolution of the perception of the constituent elements of matter, from ancient times to the present day. The study presents not only historical data on the understanding, interpretation and description of individual elements of matter, but also includes a description of the historical background, including a brief description of individual researchers and facts related to their life and activity. The paper discusses the progress of science related directly to changes in the understanding of the structure and composition of matter. This aspect is particularly important from a didactic point of view, since the history of the development of atomic theory underlies the history of chemistry as a field. Thus, the presented monograph meets the needs of contemporary Polish scientific literature. The publication is addressed to research workers and students of the departments of chemistry, pharmacy, physics and history.