Posted by Adam on February 18, 2000, at 11:27:25
In reply to Ramon y Cajal, posted by Elizabeth on February 18, 2000, at 1:43:40
Well, it turns out I have heard of him, and I've got the textbooks to prove it. Unfortunately I didn't remember his name or much of anything else about him. If you had brought up histology, it might have jogged my memory; then I would never have uttered a sentance with Cajal but without Golgi. Ironically, that's where I heard about Cajal the most (or perhaps at all), in his use of Golgi staining of neurons, not for furthering the understanding of that structure at the molecular or even the cellular level.
Who can forget Freud, though? Anyone who goes around saying emotional problems can stem from the uterus and women wish they had a penis and yet still have modern-day adherants is bound to be the topic of lively conversation for years to come. I heard about Freud way more in school, a man of pure evil if you ask some of my old professors. One, a protege of Mary Daly, I think coined the term "Sigmund Fraud", or acted like she did.
Yeah, nothing like a little Freud to get the blood boiling. A bit more exciting than "nerve cells stain black." But you're right, Cajal is much more deserving of our memory.
Being Spanish might not help matters. You know, most Americans' idea of Spanish literature is Hemmingway, and how many great Spanish thinkers can we name vs. Austrian?
Thanks for the reference.
> > Never heard of the guy.
>
> Exactly -- everybody's heard of Freud. Yet while I do think Freud (though wrong on many counts) made some important contributions (not to science, but to talk therapy and literature), Cajal is the one whose name should be remembered by all, especially on this board.
>
> At the end of the 19th century, Cajal discovered the basic structure of the nervous system and how neurotransmission works. Something else that impresses me are his detailed drawings of neurons. They can be found all over the web; one good one is at http://www.hhmi.org/senses/b/b110b-lg.htm.
poster:Adam
thread:21333
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000209/msgs/22248.html