{"id":182476,"date":"2026-03-28T08:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T08:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/?p=182476"},"modified":"2026-03-28T08:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T08:08:47","slug":"ramon-y-cajal-in-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/en\/ramon-y-cajal-in-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram\u00f3n y Cajal, in depth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.

Dr. Joaqu\u00edn Callabed<\/p><\/div>\n

Joaqu\u00edn Callabed<\/strong><\/u><\/em><\/a>, President of the Social Pediatrics Club<\/strong>, Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia<\/strong> and the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Catalonia<\/strong>, and Numerary Member and Vice-President of the Health Sciences Section of the Royal European Academy of Doctors<\/strong> (READ), continues his work in disseminating the life and legacy of the legendary Aragonese scientist Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal<\/strong>, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine<\/strong> in 1906. He addressed this topic in the lecture \u201cSantiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal. His Decisive Years in Barcelona (1887\u20131892)\u201d<\/em>, delivered on 11 February at the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Catalonia, as well as in the articles \u201c\u2018The Tonics of the Will\u2019 by Ram\u00f3n y Cajal,\u201d \u201cRam\u00f3n y Cajal\u2019s Disciples in Barcelona\u201d<\/em> and \u201cThe Humanistic Traits of Ram\u00f3n y Cajal,\u201d<\/em> published between January and February in the \u201cExpert Readers\u201d<\/em> section of the digital edition of \u201cLa Vanguardia,\u201d<\/em> where he is an active contributor. Callabed also participated on 24 March in the session \u201cRam\u00f3n y Cajal: Scientific and Artistic Creation\u201d<\/em> held at the Ateneo de Madrid<\/strong> alongside other distinguished experts.<\/p>\n

In his lecture at the Academy of Pharmacy, the academic explored Ram\u00f3n y Cajal\u2019s period in Barcelona as a decisive stage in the consolidation of his scientific career. After arriving as a university professor, the researcher faced a resource-limited academic environment, which forced him to conduct his work with scarce means and strong personal initiative. Despite these difficulties, Ram\u00f3n y Cajal devoted long hours to studying the nervous system under the microscope, refining his techniques through persistent observation. Although his research initially went largely unnoticed by the scientific community, this period laid the foundations for the discoveries that would later earn him international recognition.<\/p>\n

In the article \u201c\u2018The Tonics of the Will\u2019 by Ram\u00f3n y Cajal,\u201d<\/em> Callabed emphasises the perseverance and determination that defined the scientist\u2019s trajectory, referring to one of his lesser-known works, \u201cRules and Advice on Scientific Research,\u201d<\/em> a guide for researchers and students focused on ethics, discipline and the cultivation of rigour and willpower necessary for scientific success, based on his own experience as a pioneer of neuroscience. \u201cThe book originated from his inaugural address at the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences<\/strong> and exalts curiosity, perseverance and passion for science as true tonics for the mind. Its purpose was to train young scientists, instilling the importance of method, ethics and perseverance,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\"Santiago

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

In \u201cRam\u00f3n y Cajal\u2019s Disciples in Barcelona,\u201d<\/em> the expert revisits the decisive period between 1887 and 1892, when the future Nobel laureate served as Professor of Histology at the University of Barcelona, laying the foundations of neuron theory and modern neuroanatomy with the support of young students. \u201cAmong the professors who shared experiences with Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal were Jaime Pi Sunyer<\/strong>, Professor of General Pathology; Ignacio Valent\u00ed<\/strong>, of Surgery; and Rafael Rodr\u00edguez M\u00e9ndez<\/strong>, of Hygiene, all of whom supported laboratory research. There was also Bartolom\u00e9 Robert Yarz\u00e1bal<\/strong>, Professor of Medical Pathology, who later became Mayor of Barcelona. Others included Joaqu\u00edn Bonet<\/strong>, who became rector, and Juan Gin\u00e9 y Partag\u00e1s<\/strong>, promoter in 1886 of the Medical Institute of Barcelona<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, in \u201cThe Humanistic Traits of Ram\u00f3n y Cajal,\u201d<\/em> Callabed reviews the scientist\u2019s dedication to diverse fields such as reading, writing, drawing, philosophy, photography and even gymnastics\u2014disciplines cultivated from his youth in Arag\u00f3n. \u201cWilder Penfield<\/strong>, the great American neuroscientist, said of Ram\u00f3n y Cajal: \u2018He was a multifaceted genius driven by that mysterious whisper that reaches the few chosen by God, pushing them ever forward to explore beyond existing knowledge, without rest and without reward other than knowing they have entered the promised land of discovery,\u2019\u201d he concludes, summarising these multiple facets through this evocative quotation.<\/p>\n

Read<\/u> \u201cThe Tonics of the Will\u201d by Ram\u00f3n y Cajal<\/u><\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n

Read<\/u> \u201cRam\u00f3n y Cajal\u2019s Disciples in Barcelona\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n

Read<\/u> \u201cThe Humanistic Traits of Ram\u00f3n y Cajal\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n