{"id":7354,"date":"2025-12-01T12:51:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/espaciocajal.com\/bio\/chapter-8\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T02:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T00:23:25","slug":"chapter-8","status":"publish","type":"bio","link":"https:\/\/espaciocajal.com\/en\/bio\/chapter-8\/","title":{"rendered":"08: The great popular sage"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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CHAPTER 8<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1907 1922<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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THE GREAT POPULAR SAGE<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In 1907, the Junta para Ampliaci\u00f3n de Estudios e Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas (JAE) (Board for the Advancement of Studies and Scientific Research) was established, with Cajal appointed as its president, and he was elected a full member (seat no. 34) of the Royal Academy of Medicine. During these years, Cajal held various positions as part of his commitment to science and Spanish society and published seminal works such as Histologie du syst\u00e8me nerveux de l\u2019homme et des vert\u00e9br\u00e9s<\/em> in 1911, a revised French edition of the 1904 Spanish original.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Not only was 1906 the year he won the Nobel Prize, it was also the year that Cajal came closest to succumbing to political temptation. As he recounts himself, he nearly accepted the position of Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, which his friend Segismundo Moret had offered him.<\/p>\n

He was a man deeply committed to his time, not just a great scientist. A regenerationist in action after the Disaster of ’98, he later became a driving force behind the modernisation of Spain through educational and research policy. In these fields, he held numerous public offices: Councillor of Public Instruction from 1898, director of the Institute of Hygiene from 1899 to 1920, director for life of the Biological Research Laboratory (Cajal Institute from 1920 onward) since its founding in 1900, president of the Board for the Advancement of Studies and Scientific Research from its inception in 1907 until his death and a senator from 1908.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal reading<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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CAJAL AS A WRITER<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In addition to his outstanding scientific achievements, Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal left a significant mark in the literary world. His writings span a wide range of genres and themes, demonstrating his versatility as an author. In Cuentos de vacaciones<\/i> (Vacation stories: Five science fiction tales), he crafts worlds that move between the fantastical and the scientific, blending his imagination with his scientific knowledge. He also explored the topic of perception and vision in La fotograf\u00eda de los colores<\/i> (The photography of colours). His autobiographical works, such as Recuerdos de mi vida<\/i> (Recollections of my life) and El mundo visto a los 80 a\u00f1os<\/i> (The world as seen at eighty), reveal his personal experiences and reflections. These writings offer a unique insight into Cajal\u2019s life and work, allowing us to understand his motivations and inspirations. In Charlas de caf\u00e9<\/i> (Coffee chats), Cajal shares thoughts, anecdotes and confidences that he describes as \u201ccircumstantial, inconsistent reactions that vary with the mood of the moment and the spirit of the occasion\u201d. Through these works, Cajal demonstrated his ability to combine scientific rigor with captivating and creative prose.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"La
La fotograf\u00eda de los colores, 1912<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Recuerdos
Recuerdos de mi vida, 1923<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"El
El fabricante de honradez. Cuentos de vacaciones, 1905. [Ediciones pulga, 1953-1958]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"La
La casa maldita. Cuentos de vacaciones, 1905. [Ediciones pulga, 1953-1958]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Charlas
Charlas de caf\u00e9, 1920. 2.\u00aa edici\u00f3n, 1922<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"El
El mundo visto a los ochenta a\u00f1os. Impresiones de un arterioescler\u00f3tico, 1934<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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CAJAL'S SCHOOL OF NEUROSCIENCE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal founded an extraordinary school, possibly the most significant in the history of biomedicine, which was cut short by the Civil War. Where would Spanish science be today if the tradition of his School had been able to continue? And what if a second Nobel Prize had gone to R\u00edo Hortega, De Castro or Lorente de N\u00f3? UNESCO\u2019s Memory of the World Programme recognises the legacy of Cajal and his School, an honour reserved for very few scientists, and determined in 2017 that \u201cthese archives are essential for the study of the history of the discoveries and theories that led to the current understanding of the human brain in two respects: anatomical composition (individual cells) and physiological properties (the formation of circuits and the propagation of nerve impulses)\u201d.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The greatest glory of a teacher lies not in training disciples who follow him, but in training scholars who surpass him.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Alfonso S\u00e1nchez Garc\u00eda, Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal\u2019s dissection class<\/i>, 1915<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Pedro Ram\u00f3n y Cajal<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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He played a pivotal role in his brother Santiago’s career. We cannot consider him a direct disciple, but rather a close collaborator. While working as a rural physician, he conducted highly significant research on the comparative histology of the nervous systems of fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds, which proved to be fundamental to Cajal<\/strong>, who stated: \u201cIn the conclusions of my work, I described in detail the course taken by the visual pathway, confirming my brother\u2019s views\u201d. He was a professor of Histology at the University of C\u00e1diz (1896) and, later, of Gynecology at the University of Zaragoza (1899). Although he continued to conduct neurohistological research even after the Civil War, his primary focus was on patient care.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Jorge Francisco Tello<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A native of Alhama de Arag\u00f3n (Zaragoza), he was the first researcher to join the Biological Research Laboratory in 1902, becoming the first member of the Cajal School. He was the first scientist to demonstrate that the central nervous system of an adult can regenerate<\/strong>, a feat that Cajal described as \u201can experimental achievement never equalled by anyone\u201d.<\/strong> Following Cajal’s retirement and death, he succeeded him in his main academic and research positions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Nicol\u00e1s Ach\u00facarro<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1911, after training under some of Europe\u2019s most distinguished specialists in neuropathology and neuropsychiatry, such as Alzheimer, and serving as director of the Government Hospital for the Insane (Washington, D.C., U.S.),<\/strong> he joined Cajal’s laboratory to establish a new histopathology department. He developed a staining method and studied granulo-adipose cells. His findings convinced Cajal, who in 1913 introduced the concept of the \u201cthird element\u201d of the nervous system. He was a pioneer in suggesting that glial cell dysfunction can cause disease without prior primary damage to neurons.<\/strong> He fell ill at a very young age and died in 1918. This was a tremendous loss for Cajal and his School, which he was destined to lead.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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P\u00edo del R\u00edo Hortega<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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He improved Ach\u00facarro’s staining method and discovered that the \u201cthird element\u201d is actually composed of two different cell types of distinct origin: microglia and oligodendrocytes.<\/strong> It is, without a doubt, one of the most fundamental discoveries in neuroscience and earned him nominations for the Nobel Prize in 1929 and 1937.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He directed the laboratory at the Residencia de Estudiantes<\/em>, a student residence created by the Board for Advanced Studies and Scientific Research, inspired by British colleges, which became the cradle of the Spanish cultural, artistic and scientific renaissance of the 1920s and 30s. Later on, he was also appointed head of the Research Division at the Spanish National Cancer Institute, and developed a classification system for tumours of the nervous system that remained in use until a few years ago.<\/strong> With the outbreak of the Civil War, he went into exile and, after spending time in France and the United Kingdom, ended up in Buenos Aires, where he left behind many distinguished disciples.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Fernando de Castro Rodr\u00edguez<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When Ach\u00facarro fell ill, Cajal\u2014well aware of the technical skill of the young Madrid native Fernando de Castro\u2014brought him on as a resident student in his department. At the Cajal Institute, he was responsible for training domestic and foreign researchers in neurohistological techniques. He described the basic principles of innervation in the cardio-aortic region and was the first to identify the chemoreceptors located in the glomus caroticum<\/em><\/strong>. Following his visits to the laboratory, he guided Corneille Heymans towards the study of the glomus caroticum<\/em> as the centre of chemosensory reflexes. For this research, the Belgian scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1938, while De Castro and Tello were guarding the Cajal Institute in war-torn Madrid.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Rafael Lorente de N\u00f3<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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While he was a student in Zaragoza, he caught the attention of Pedro Ram\u00f3n y Cajal, who recommended him to his brother. In Madrid, he produced a brilliant description of the histology of the acoustic-vestibular nuclei, which brought him international fame<\/strong>. With a scholarship from the JAE, he went abroad to work with the Vogts in Germany and with Nobel laureate R\u00f3bert B\u00e1r\u00e1ny in Sweden. In 1929, he returned to Spain to head the first otolaryngology department<\/strong> in Santander, where he set up a histology and physiology laboratory. In 1931, he left for the United States for good, first going to the Central Institute for the Deaf and later to what is now Rockefeller University. He made major discoveries; particularly significant was his research on the functional organisation of the cerebral cortex and the physiology of nerve impulses. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1953<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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CAJAL'S SCHOOL, AS DEFINED BY HIMSELF IN 1922<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On the occasion of receiving the Echegaray Medal, awarded by the Royal Academy of Sciences<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Pedro Ram\u00f3n y Cajal<\/div>
(1894-1918)<\/div>
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Claudio Sala i Pons<\/div>
(1892-1894)<\/div>
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Carlos Calleja y Borja-Tarrius<\/div>
(1893-1897)<\/div>
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Isidoro Lavilla<\/div>
(1887-1897)<\/div>
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Ram\u00f3n Terrazas<\/div>
(1896-1897)<\/div>
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Tom\u00e1s Blanes Viale<\/div>
(1898)<\/div>
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Federico Ol\u00f3riz Ortega<\/div>
(1897)<\/div>
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Jules Havet<\/div>
(1898-1916)<\/div>
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Eduardo del R\u00edo Lara<\/div>
(1900-1910)<\/div>
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Rafael Forns<\/div>
(1903)<\/div>
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Jorge Francisco Tello Mu\u00f1oz<\/div>
(1903-1921)<\/div>
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Domingo S\u00e1nchez S\u00e1nchez<\/div>
(1904-1920)<\/div>
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Manuel M\u00e1rquez Rodr\u00edguez<\/div>
(1898-1901)<\/div>
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Gonzalo R. Lafora<\/div>
(1910-1916)<\/div>
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S\u00e1nchez y S\u00e1nchez [Manuel]<\/div>
(1916-1919)<\/div>
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Fernando de Castro Rodr\u00edguez<\/div>
(1916-1922)<\/div>
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Nicol\u00e1s Ach\u00facarro Lund<\/div>
(1911-1915)<\/div>
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Jos\u00e9 Miguel Sacrist\u00e1n<\/div>
(1912-1913)<\/div>
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Luis Calandre Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<\/div>
(1913)<\/div>
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Miguel Gayarre Espinel<\/div>
(1912-1914)<\/div>
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P\u00edo del R\u00edo Hortega<\/div>
(1913-1922)<\/div>
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Jorge Ram\u00f3n Fa\u00f1an\u00e1s<\/div>
(1912-1918)<\/div>
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Galo Leoz Ort\u00edn<\/div>
(1912-1913)<\/div>
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Lorenzo Ruiz de Arcaute<\/div>
(1912-1913)<\/div>
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Laura Forster<\/div>
(1911)<\/div>
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Manuela Serra<\/div>
(1921)<\/div>
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Mariano G\u00f3rriz<\/div>
(1921)<\/div>
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Jos\u00e9 M.\u00aa Villaverde y Larraz<\/div>
(1920-1921)<\/div>
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