Review by Booklist Review
Although Santiago Ramón y Cajal received a Nobel Prize in 1906 for advances in neuroscience, he remains an obscure, even unknown figure to the general public, unlike such celebrity Nobel laureates as Einstein, Curie, Watson, and Crick. Biographer Ehrlich endeavors to elevate Cajal's presence in this portrait of him as complicated and obsessive. Cajal was enthralled by the structure of neurons (those billions of specialized cells in the brain and nervous system), made thousands of sketches of them, and dubbed neurons "the mysterious butterflies of the soul." He spent much of his adult life peering into a microscope. Ehrlich chronicles Cajal's youth and education, his devoted wife and the deaths of two children, professional career and achievements, and a rocky relationship with his authoritarian father. Revered as one of Spain's greatest scientists, the political changes (and at times upheaval) of the Spanish government significantly affected Cajal's life. A restless "dreamer" gifted with a great visual memory, he was inclined toward pessimism: "I have a very low opinion of human beings." Even with his very high appreciation of our neurons!
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852--1934) merits a spot "among Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton as one of the greatest scientists of all time," writes journalist Ehrlich (The Dreams of Santiago Ramón y Cajal) in this serviceable biography. Cajal won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work demonstrating that the brain is composed of individual cells rather than being a single integrated mass, and Ehrlich concisely describes Cajal's scientific work and situates him within the tumultuous political scene in Spain during his lifetime. Born in Petilla, Cajal was "willful and restless" as a child, then a poor student who was interested primarily in art, but was pushed by his father to study medicine. Ehrlich's Cajal is a complicated individual, one who largely shaped Spain's scientific culture (as its "public representative"), supported liberal politics while retaining a belief in the Spanish monarchy, and promoted opportunities for women while denouncing various aspects of feminism. But the author never quite explains how science took hold of him or what made him tick. Ehrlich does a fine job of laying out the particulars of his subject's life, but readers desiring insight into his personality will be left wanting. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An in-depth biography of the Nobel laureate who "is considered the founder of modern neuroscience." In the late 1800s, Europe was rippling with activity in science, art, and politics. Against this backdrop, Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) devoted himself passionately to the study of microscopic structures that comprise living tissue. Inspired by drawing and photography, he created innumerable images of objects he viewed through his microscope, and his legacy as a pioneering neuroscientist is entwined with his artistic achievements, which include drawings of neurons and other cells that are frequently displayed in major museums. In this deeply researched and intimate book, Ehrlich illuminates his subject's life and work, hailing him as a "complicated and monumental man" who "produced the first clear evidence that the brain is composed of individual cells, later termed neurons, fundamentally the same as those that make up the rest of the living world." The author delves deep, building on his research for his previous book, The Dreams of Santiago Ramón y Cajal. "From every source that I could find, writes Ehrlich, "I gathered every trace of him, every sliver of his life and scrap of his work, every piece of information about his science, his country, and his world." In vivid detail, he describes Cajal's emergence from childhood rogue to internationally celebrated scientist and chronicles unrelenting pursuit of knowledge within a volatile and rapidly changing world. Through colorful anecdotes about Cajal's upbringing, education, career, marriage, and fatherhood, the author reveals his character in more detail than ever before, bringing him to life in clear and elegant prose. Cajal believed that scientific pursuit was indistinguishable from human self-discovery. Writes Ehrlich, he "provided a deeper account of our humanity, the story of how our brains became what they are." The book includes photos and anatomical drawings. A beautiful composition that shows Cajal's indelible contribution to science and art. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
