An anecdotal guide for the perplexed new investigator as well as a refreshing resource for the old pro, covering everything from valuable personality traits for an investigator to social factors conducive to scientific work. Santiago Ramon y Cajal was a mythic figure in science. Hailed as the father of modern anatomy and neurobiology, he was largely responsible for the modern conception of the brain. His groundbreaking works were New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System and Histology of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates. In addition to leaving a legacy of unparalleled scientific research, Cajal sought to educate the novice scientist about how science was done and how he thought it should be done. This recently rediscovered classic, first published in 1897, is an anecdotal guide for the perplexed new investigator as well as a refreshing resource for the old pro. Cajal was a pragmatist, aware of the pitfalls of being too idealistic-and he had a sense of humor, particularly evident in his diagnoses of various stereotypes of eccentric scientists. The book covers everything from valuable personality traits for an investigator to social factors conducive to scientific work.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934) made prolific and lasting contributions to understanding "the life of the infinitely small." Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934) made prolific and lasting contributions to understanding "the life of the infinitely small." Widely thought of as the founder of neuroscience, Cajal made remarkable explorations into the organization and function of the nervous system. His work is still referred to more than that of any other scientist in the field.W. Maxwell Cowan's foreword to this edition conveys the excitement and energy of Cajal's life and endeavors, the liveliness and flamboyance of his engagements with the microscope. Cowan surveys Cajal's salient discoveries, noting that almost every important conceptual issue in neurobiology was foreshadowed in Cajal's work: the initial description of the climbing fibers of the cerebellum, the discovery of the growth cone, the concept of the "dynamic polarity" of the neurom an anticipation of the later discovery of axonal transport, and the prediction that new synapses may be formed throughout life to serve as a physical basis for learning and memory. W. Maxwell Cowen is Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Ein Werk des spanischen Medizinnobelpreistr gers Santiago Felipe Ram n y Cajal. Nachdruck des Originals von 1896.

Fearing they would compromise his scientific career, neurobiologist Ramon y Cajal waited almost twenty years to publish these stories: five ingenious tales that take a microscopic look at the nature, allure, and danger of scientific curiosity. Now available for the first time in an English paperback edition, Cajal's stories reveal a great deal about the collusion of human ambition and greed that prey on the hapless, whether in the name of science, religion, or the state. Laura Otis, whose dual background in literature and science echoes that of the author, has written a substantial introduction that describes Cajal as a scientist and an artist. She has also crafted a sparkling translation that captures the wit and imagination of the original.