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Father of Neuroscience


Even though the origins of neuroscience can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, it remained a speculative science until the imaging of the neurons. The person who transformed the study of nerves to an experimental and observational science was Spanish physician Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Cajal’s images and drawings made such a profound contribution to the field of neuroscience that he is considered the Father of Neuroscience.

Cajal (1852-1935) created nearly 3000 drawings of the nervous system, detailing its architecture, and unraveling the mysteries of neuroanatomy. Through his elaborate drawings of the nervous system, he showed that the brain is made up of individual cells called neurons. Until Cajal’s drawings, the common view was that the nervous system was a spider web-like structure of cells that behaved like a single unit.

Cajal’s drawing of the neurons in a bird’s cerebellum

Although Cajal used the tissue staining method developed by his contemporary, Camillo Golgi, he and Golgi were adversaries who bitterly disagreed with each other's findings. Cajal used the same technique as Golgi and others but observed details that others could not. Cajal was a skilled artist with a sharp observation and a keen photographer, which helped him see things differently from others. His drawings are considered so accurate and detailed that they are used in classroom even today. Modern imaging technologies are said to still not be able to surpass his drawings in elegance and clarity.
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