Santiago Ramón y Cajal

After obtaining a degree in Medicine (1873), he joined the Military Health Corps and was immediately sent to Cuba. After he returned to Spain (1875) he was appointed temporary assistant in anatomy at the University of Zaragoza, and two years later he earned a doctorate at the University of Madrid. He then obtained the position of director of the Anatomical Museum of Zaragoza, where he served until he became professor of General Anatomy, University of Valencia (1883), later teaching at Barcelona (1887) and Madrid (1892).

His contributions to the knowledge of the central and peripheral nervous system make him the founder of modern neuroanatomy. His descriptions and plates have served as the basic text for the training of generations of physicians worldwide. Cajal's investigations were based on the achievements of Golgi, his fellow Nobel laureate, whose findings he revised and expanded.

He published over 200 papers in both Spanish and international journals. Among his books, some of the main works are: Manual de Histología normal y técnica micrográfica (Manual of normal histology and micrographic technique, 1889); Manual de Anatomía patológica general (Manual of General Pathology, 1890); and Textura del sistema nervioso del hombre y de los vertebrados (Texture of the nervous system of man and vertebrates, 1904).

In 1907 he became the first president of the Board for Advanced Studies and Scientific Research (JAE), a position he held until his death. He participated in major initiatives to create a scientific and educational infrastructure in Spain: the Alfonso XIII National Institute of Hygiene, the Board of Education (1900), Laboratory for Biological Research (1900) and the Cajal Institute (1920).

In 1908 he was elected as a senator to represent the University of Madrid, and two years later was appointed as a senator for life. But do not accept any appointments with political content, to the extent that rejected the post of Minister of Public Instruction (1906).

Throughout his life he received numerous accolades for his work: school and research centres were named after him, he was awarded the Grand Cross of Isabel the Catholic (1890), Grand Cross of Alfonso XII (1902), the Moscow International Award (1900), and the Helmholtz gold medal from the Royal Academy of Berlin (1905). He was a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences (1895), the Royal Academy of Medicine (1896) and the Royal Spanish Academy (1905). He was awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Cambridge (1893), Worcester (1899), Clark (1899), Boston (1899), Harvard (1899) and the Sorbonne (1924).