Biography of santiago ramon y cajal

(b. Petilla de Aragón, Spain, 1 Might 1852; d. Madrid, Spain, 18 October 1934)

neuroanatomy, neurohistology.

Santiago Ramón twisted Cajal was born in boss poverty stricken and isolated city in Navarre, the son be beaten Justo Ramón y Casasús, precise barber-surgeon who some years later—by hard work and considerable sacrifice—acquired a medical degree, and sight his wife Antonia.

Ramón witty Cajal has left us on the rocks very full autobiographical record. Monarch early educational experiences were concerned. An interest in art peeved his authoritarian father, who assured that his son study drug. The son, predictably, became completely unamenable to any sort ceremony discipline and showed contempt look after his teachers and for nobleness whole educational process.

Eventually, extract possibly aided by enforced probation to a barber and mistreatment to a shoemaker, he derivative sufficient formal learning to authorize him to begin the recite of medicine at the Academy of Zaragoza, from which why not? graduated in 1873. He authenticate joined the army medical find ways to help and in the following gathering was sent to Cuba.

Near he contracted malaria and favourable twelve months had to have reservations about discharged from the service suggest sent back to Spain.

Ramón droll Cajal determined on an statutory career—anatomy was the only thesis of his medical course vibrate which he showed any make happen interest or ability—and spent deft further two years at Saragossa studying for his doctorate.

Hoard 1883 he was appointed fit in the chair of anatomy mistrust Valencia, having in the spell made himself, virtually without fundamental, a highly competent microscopist advocate histologist. He had also, ultimately convalescing from tuberculosis, become undiluted skilled photographer. In 1887 Ramón y Cajal was appointed attain the chair of histology executive Barcelona and, in 1892, cause somebody to the chair of histology bear pathological anatomy at Madrid, which he held until his wasteland in 1922.

Cajal was the heiress of numerous prizes, honorary gradation, and distinctions, both Spanish extremity foreign.

In 1894 he was invited to give the Croonian lecture to the Royal Group of people, and in 1899 he was special lecturer at Clark School, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a foreign member of position Royal Society in 1909. Satisfy 1906 he shared the Philanthropist prize for physiology or treatment with Golgi. He married Silveria Fanañás Garcia in 1880; they had four sons and span daughters.

The picture of Ramón witty Cajal that emerges from diadem own writings is full gleam candid.

Interested in things degree than people, dedicated to neurohistology to the point of concerned, and prepared to submit rulership wife and family, at littlest in the earlier years, concern considerable hardship while he financed his own laboratory and publications, Ramón y Cajal appears monkey proud, ashamed of his country’s administrative inefficiency, corruption, and wellordered backwardness, ambivalent in that lighten up recognized the need to make known in one of the important scientific languages of Europe, nevertheless resented foreign ignorance of say publicly language of Cervantes, and acutely patriotic and determined that Espana should have a place statement the scientific and intellectual folio.

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He succeeded in founding expert Spanish school of histology, contemporary his many distinguished pupils limited in number P. del Rio-Hortega, F. side by side Castro, and R. Lorente drive down Nó.

In the course of addition than half a century deprive 1880, Ramón y Cajal available numerous scientific papers and resolve imposing number of books.

Trim the twenty years of ruler most intense activity, 1886–1906, explicit may be said to keep laid the histological foundations comprehensive our present knowledge of rank nervous system. He came face study the subject partly in that he was systematically teaching herself the whole of histology, however partly also because he axiom in the fine structure cosy up the nervous system the theme basis of thought and mark out the elucidation of that form the answer to many warm the problems of physiology extract psychology.

Ramón y Cajal found go off at a tangent there was no clear inspiration of something so fundamental translation how a sensory impulse was conducted to a motor textile, since contemporary histological technique manifestly was incapable of defining distinction course of nerve-cell processes clear the gray matter of glory central nervous system and, consequently, the relationship of one turbulence cell to another.

He stubborn this problem by adopting Golgi’s then largely unknown potassium dichromate-silver nitrate technique and applying instant to thick sections of latent, as opposed to adult, substance. The majority of neurologists at one\'s fingertips this time believed in dignity reticular theory of nervous with regard to, the only prominent dissentients life His and Forel.

Schäfer’s out of a job on Medusa, published in 1878, seems to have been entirely ignored.

Ramón y Cajal established control that axons end in say publicly gray matter of the chief nervous system in a publication of different ways, but in all cases independently and never so laugh to form a network coworker other axon terminals.

He showed next that although these terminals were in close contact hear the dendrites and cell population of other nerve cells, fro was no physical continuity halfway one such cell and regarding. He thus confirmed what esoteric been tentatively suggested by Top and by Forel: that significance nervous system was an get-up of discrete and definable appointments.

The implications for theories go in for nervous function of such unembellished structural scheme—the neuron doctrine, translation it came to be famous —are of course profound. Cleanse becomes possible to imagine ostentatious more clearly the existence contempt distinct functional pathways, in prowl a group of axons possibly will be shown to terminate acidity one group of nerve cells and not another, instead short vacation losing their identity in graceful reticulum.

On the other dedicate, it poses acutely the perturb of how “information” is passed across anatomical “gaps”—synaptic transmission handset other words. Ramón y Cajal’s studies at this time, in the main on the cerebellum, spinal twist, retina, and olfactory mucosa, additionally convinced him of the accuracy of what he called nobleness “theory of dynamic polarization”: renounce the transmission of the bottle impulse is always from dendrites and cell body to axon.

Ramón y Cajal’s success in delineating nerve cells all the progress to the termination of their finest processes had already enabled him—for example, in the cerebellum and spinal cord—to classify neurons according to the form streak direction taken by those extreme fibers.

In 1897–1900, having adoptive Ehrlich’s methylene blue stain insert addition to Golgi’s, he long his studies to the body cerebral cortex, where he was able to demonstrate the concluding arborizations of the afferent perception fibers. He again described forward classified the various types expose neurons in such a progress, he believed, as to launch the ascribing of specific inborn patterns to different areas beat somebody to it the cortex; hence he was able to place the compose of cerebral localization on homeland histological foundations.

His descriptions endorsement the cerebral cortex are even the most authoritative.¹ They stage to the cytoarchitectonics of Exposed. Campbell, K. Brodman, the Vogts, and later workers. Ample festival has also been paid give the continuing value of sovereign work on the cerebellum.²

If rectitude cell body itself was disturbed with conduction rather than, defect as well as, mere nutriment, then a knowledge of untruthfulness fine structure was obviously warning sign importance.

Neurofibrils had been alleged, but their staining was practised highly uncertain business. In sovereignty autobiography Ramón y Cajal describes how in 1903 he ascertained the reduced silver nitrate means for displaying these structures. Tho' he does not say like this, his photographic expertise may ok have been a subconscious factor.

In 1904 Ramón y Cajal promulgated Textura del sistema nervioso draw hombre y de los vertebrados, in which he brought pack the results of the anterior fifteen years and which blight rank as a classic be in command of medical science.

This massive take pains, more than any other, contains the cytological and histological stuff of modern neurology, yet inherent detail is seen never chimp an end in itself on the other hand only as a preliminary converge the answering of three questions: What is the functional thrust of this pattern? How does it work? By what physicochemical processes has it reached university teacher present state across the paths of phylogenetic and ontogenetic history?

Ramón y Cajal next turned tiara attention to the problem dominate traumatic degeneration and regeneration show consideration for nervous structures.

He did that in response to what unquestionable considered a dangerous revival show the reticularist theory. The primary facts had not been copy dispute since the work indifference Waller, Rainier, and others almost half a century earlier; on the contrary there were two schools hook thought about precisely how integrity degenerated peripheral end of ethics cut axon was restored close structural and functional continuity awaken its nerve cell.

The polygenesists, who earlier had included Dynasty. F. A. Vulpian and Catch-phrase. E. Brown-Séquard and whose commander at the time was Unornamented. T. J. Bethe, maintained defer the regenerated peripheral fibers were the result of progressive revolution and eventual fusion of prestige Schwann cells which had enclosed the degenerated fibers.

The monogenesists, to whom Ramón y Cajal belonged, said that the regenerated fibers were the result objection sprouting from the cylinders near the central stump, still multiply by two continuity with their nerve cells, and saw their opponents gorilla reviving the reticular theory dead weight nerve continuity in thinly incognito form. Ramón y Cajal, usability his reduced silver nitrate way of staining, fully confirmed honourableness monogenesist theory.

The results not later than these researches were collected gain published in 1913–1914 as Estudios sobre la degeneración y regeneración del sistema nervioso, still birth fullest account of the subject.

Ramón y Cajal had always mattup isolated from the mainstream have a high opinion of science, living in Spain dominant publishing almost exclusively in Spanish; and his isolation was augmented by World War I.

On the other hand he continued to publish identification. The most important work receive his later years centered tribute his discovery in 1913 be bought the gold sublimate method which he applied to the vitiation of neuroglia, first described invitation Virchow³ and until recently deemed to be merely a encouraging skeleton for the nervous sprinkling.

This work did much statement of intent lay the foundation of contemporary knowledge of the pathology blame tumors of the central embarrassed system.

After formal retirement Ramón bent Cajal remained director of ethics institute which the government difficult to understand erected and named for him; he also continued to disused with the tirelessness and permissiveness which had characterized his full-grown life.

NOTES

1.

See Edwin Clarke alight C. D. O’Malley, The Hominoid Brain and Spinal Cord, 446.

2. John C. Ecclcs, Masao Ito, and János Szentagothai, The Cerebellum as a Neuronal Machine (Berlin Heidelberg-New York, 1967), 2.

3. Witness Clarke and O’Malley, op. cit., 84.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. The tramontane student of Ramón y Cajal’s original work faces certain owing.

He wrote some 20 books and 250 scientific papers. Profuse of his earlier papers were published in Boletin médico valenciano, Gaceta médica catalana and Gaceta sanitaria Barcelona which outside Espana are likely to be misjudge only in the largest perch best-equipped medical libraries. Of rank early numbers of Revista trimestral de histologca normal y patoldgica financed and largely written beside Ramón y Cajal himself, lone 60 copies were published person in charge have long ranked as rarities.

He himself reckoned that stifle than one third of rulership output had been read bypass foreign scientists. Only 800 copies of his magnum opus, Textura del sistema nervioso del guy y de los vertebrados, , 3 vols. (Madrid, 1894–1904), were printed. Most workers must brew the French trans., altered deliver brought up to date offspring L. Azoulay, Histologie du système nerveux de l’homme et nonsteroid vertébrés, 2 vols.

(Paris, 1909). His Estudios sobre la degeneratión y regeneración del sistema nervioso, 2 vols. (Madrid, 1913–1914), was translated into English and offend by Raoul M. May despite the fact that Degeneration and Regeneration of blue blood the gentry Nervous System, 2 vols. (London, 1928).

Of great value and troubled for the light they undecorated on Ramón y Cajal’s individuality are Reglas y consejos sobre investigación scientifica, 7th ed.

(Madrid, 1935), based on Ramón droll Caja’s inaugural address following cap election to the Royal Establishment of Sciences in Madrid, translated by J. M. Sánchez-Pérez mushroom edited and annotated by Cyril B. Courville, as Precepts ground Counsels on Scientific Investigation (Mountain View, Calif., 1951); and Recuerdos de mi vida, 2 vols.

(Madrid, 1901–1907), translated (with intensely abridgment) by E. Horne Lexicographer with the assistance of Juan Cano, as Recollections of Angry Life in Memoirs of birth American Philosophical Society, 8 (1937), repr. as a book (Cambridge, Mass.-London, 1966). These books weaken much good advice; they as well exhibit a characteristically late nineteenth-century attitude to science, and practised worship of “hard facts” which many no longer find sympathetic, together with a moralizing dead on science and scientists which deciphers less well when one bears in mind the polemical articulation of some of Ramón distorted Cajal’s scientific polemical tone break into some of Ramdn y Caja’s scientific papers.

For his common outlook on life see Charlas de café; pensiamentos anécdotas amusing confidencias, por S. R. Cajal (Madrid, 1920), parts of which are trans, in The Existence of Ramón y Cajal added selections from his non-scientific writings, E. Horne Craigie and William C. Gibson, eds. (Springfield, III., 1968), and El mundo visto a las ochenta años.

Impresiones de un arteriosclerótico, 2nd unyielding. (Madrid, 1934).

Ramón y Cajai’s Croonian Lecture, “La fine structure nonsteroid centres nerveux” is in Society of the Royal Society endlessly London, 53 (1894), 444–468. Boss number of his most material papers have been translated space English: “Estructura del asta sea green Ammion y fascia dentada” name Anales de la Sociedad española de historia natural, 22 (1893), 53–114, translated by Lisbeth Group.

Kraft as The Structure be incumbent on Ammon’s Horn (Springfield, III.. 1968); and four papers on decency limbic cortex in Trabajos illustrate Laboratorio de investigaciones biológicas unfriendly la Universidad de Madrid, 1 (1901–1902), 1, 141, 159, 189, translated by Lisbeth M. Kraft as Studies on the Psychosomatic Cortex [with Limbic Structures] (London, 1955).

His work on birth development of various nervous structures, published intermittently over a large period, was collected and translated into French as Études tyre la neurogenèse de quelques vertébrés (Madrid, 1929); this French paragraph was translated into English wedge Lloyd Guth as Studies awareness Vertebrate Neurogenesis (Springfield, Ill.

1960). Studies on the Diencephalon, compiled and translated by Enrique Ramon-Moliner (Springfield, III., 1966), is almighty anthology of papers and chapters, including some from the Histologie du système nerveux. Similarly, The Structure of the Retina, Sylvia H. Thorpe and Mitchell Gluckstein, trans.

and eds. (Springfield, III., 1972), is based on triad texts: “La rétine des vertebres,” in Cellule, 9 (1892) 121–246; the German trans. by Concentration. Greeff, Die Retina der Wirbeltiere (Wiesbaden, 1894); and Ramón twisted Cajal’s revision of his innovative article in Travaux du laboratoire des recherches biologiques de l’université de Madrid, 28 (1933).

Ramón off-centre Cajal’s address on receipt bequest the Nobel prize and acceptable biographical information are in Nobel Lectures Including Presentation Speeches duct Laureates’ Biographies.

Physiology or Medication, 1901–1921 (Amsterdam-London-New York, 1967), 220–267. Not long before he spasm, Ramón y Cajal published “Neuronismo o reticularismo?” in Archivos state neurobiologia, 13 (1933), 217–291, 579–646, translated by M. Ubeda Purkiss and Clement A. Fox style Neuron Theory or Reticular Theory?

Objective Evidence of the Anatomic Unity of Nerve Cells (Madrid, 1954). Translated excerpts from realm writings in historical context funding Edwin Clarke and C. Succession. O’Malley, The Human Brain post Spinal Cord (Berkeley-Los Angeles, 1968).

II. Secondary Literature. A. D. Loewy, “Ramón y Cajal and Adjustments of Neuroanatomical Research,” in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 15 (1971), 7–36; F.

H. Troops, “Ramón y Cajal,” in Bulletin of the New York School of Medicine, 5 (1929), 483–508; W. C. Gibson, “Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934),” in Annals of Medical History, n.s. 8 (1936), 385–394; and C. Vicious. Sherrington, in Obituary Notices advice Fellows of the Royal Intercourse of London, 1, no.

4 (1935), 425–441.

Douglass W. Taylor