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Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) was an incredible scientist--he made invaluable contributions to neuroanatomy, including some of the most beautiful scientific illustrations since Vesalius. He was also a popular author, and above all a dedicated teacher, offering fatherly advice to students and young researchers on a wide range of topics. After he achieved success as a scientist, he wrote the first edition of Reglas y Consejos sobre Investigación Biológia (los tonicos de la voluntad) (1916). That work has been retranslated and presented by MIT Press as Advice for a Young Investigator. Although the wisdom contained in this slim, elegant volume is almost a century old, it is as fresh and useful today as it no doubt was then. What student or researcher wouldn't benefit from advice given by a mentor who has carefully examined his own life and career? Translator Larry Swanson writes in the foreword:

Hard work, ambition, patience, humility, seriousness, and passion for work, family, and country were among the traits he considered essential. But above all, master technique and produce original data; all the rest will follow.

Cajal's guidance on such things as the scientific method, resolve, undue admiration of authority, passion for reputation, reading, and "diseases of the will" is priceless. Every page of this little book is filled with read-aloud gems:

If a solution fails to appear after all of this, and yet we feel success is just around the corner, try resting for a while.... Like the early morning frost, this intellectual refreshment withers the parasitic and nasty vegetation that smothers the good seed. Bursting forth at last is the flower of truth.

Whether you're writing a dissertation, conquering writer's block to get that paper submitted to a journal, beginning a new research project, or just starting out in a scientific career, Advice for a Young Investigator will inspire, edify, and amuse you. --Therese Littleton Book Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

excellent book
This is a great book for anyone who is embarking on research life journey. It should be a madatory reading for all persons getting training in research.

Inspiration for a new life vision
Could one expect have such a magnificent review of the life which can give you the main principles to enjoy your life as a scientist? Yes, read this book which still inspires me in most aspects of my life. By some pertinent illustrations, Santiago gave us the basis to lead not only a sucesss in your scientific career, but also (and more important) advices to a better human being.
This book (and all others of this kind) speaks to human's heart, andshould be proposed in our education system instead of so many boring and barely useful.

Great book to read by every new scientist
This book was recomended by Dr. T T Sun, who himself is a great motivator and researcher. I read this book and its incredible. It changes the view of thinking towards science.

Critically valuable for those overlooked by peer review
Modern scientific publishers unduly constrain modern observers.Much like the growing gulf between rich and poor, the gulf between the peer reviewed and the independent investigator is widening.Peers can usually accept incremental improvements on what is already accepted, and their role is to maintain those views.However, their own reputations may be at stake if a true paradigm shift is found that weakens the foundation on which their decades of work has been founded.So peers frequently block progress at great expense to the scientific community.

Some bridge this gulf by making their own money and then breaking the rules, like Jeff Hawkins or Mike Lazaridis.Such men can write books or start their own schools, using money to prevent the dismissal that they might otherwise suffer.

But others, with less money, must travel a perilous path with the potential of instant and permanent dismissal when they make wrong guesses, en-route to a breakthrough.For these observers, there is no clear path to "legitimacy", regardless of any talent they may have.

Cajal is a remarkable guide to those who labor alone.His "Advice" is precisely what is needed to avoid most of the mistakes that lead to dismissal.He is both respectful towards predecessors and insistent that the work of all predecessors is to be passed.

Although this book is often criticized for "quaintness" or being "Cajal-centric", I believe that it is more important now than when it was written, and, like Shakespeare, rewards those who can tolerate the differences of language and circumstances that must be accepted to understand it.It is nowhere near as distant as Shakespeare in this regard.

I thank the Swanson and Swanson team for their excellent light and explained editing of this book, and of Cajal's two volume "Histology", leaving Cajal's meaning as untouched by modern theory as possible.

not kind of advice that my advisor will give me
I am a graduate student (not in biology-ralated field) looking for general advice from this book.To my surprise much of Cajal's advice is still applicable not just today but in different disciplines.However, this is not a run-of-the-mill advice book for graduate students, and definitely not kind of advice my advisor will give me.Cajal is very passionate about doing science, and he doesn't hesitate to point out (sometimes very harshly) what he thinks the wrong ways of doing science.

It's expected that part of books are dated (remember it's first releasesd in 1897), but should not deter interested readers from reading it.Sometimes Cajal made comments upon which any readers today will frown, like "A woman [...] is in different to all work related to change and progress".But don't call Cajal a sexist, and don't interpret his work in the value system of the 21st century.Cajal is so enthusiastic about science that few other things matter to him.Anyone can easily feel and understand his commitment to science after reading few pages of the book. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Santiago Ramon y Cajal, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2339 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
Santiago Ramón 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting view on science in another age
This is an interesting but somewhat strange book.It provides a really amazing view of what it was like to do science in those days, in particular about the various political maneuvering that was required to navigate the old spanish academic system.It also provides interesting insight into the personality of one of the greatest pioneers of cell biology.Unfortunately, part of his personality involves telling us all how great he was, so sometimes I found the book a little tiresome to read.I was also kind of disappointed in that it took a long time before he got around to covering the time when he actually made his important contributions to science.Still, for anyone interested in cell or neurobiology, or in the history of science, I would recommend this book fairly strongly as something they will enjoy.

Excellent
This book contained many valuable insights into the life of one of the most influential neuroscientists ever. This book was an excellent read. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Anales de la Literatura Española Contemporánea, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 7969 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Huellas de una identidad. El proyecto autobiográfico de Santiago Ramón y Cajal.(Ensayo crítico)
Author: Ricardo Fernández
Publication: Anales de la Literatura Española Contemporánea (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 31Issue: 1Page: 71(21)

Article Type: Ensayo crítico

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more