Santiago Ramón y Cajal: Scientist and Artist

This fascinating talk by CSIC scientific researcher Juan de Carlos reveals the fusion between the scientific self and the artist self of Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Cajal practiced drawing in his childhood and youth because he wanted to be an artist. This interest was reflected in his scientific and anatomical drawings when he decided to study medicine, and he put down on paper what he saw under the microscope when he worked as a histologist so that he could explain his discoveries in scientific publications. His histological drawings are famous today for their fidelity to what he observed as well as the beauty of their lines. At the same time, Cajal developed another interest, that of photography, which he nurtured throughout his life. Cajal used all manner of photographic techniques, making his own emulsions and even introducing color photography in Spain, about which he wrote a treatise in 1912. As he stated when referring to photography: “life passes, but the image remains.”

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