Cajal and de Castro’s Neurohistological Methods

Cajal and De Castro’s Neurohistological Methods provides the first English translation of Fernando de Castro’s 1933 publication Elementos de Tecnica Micrografica del Sistema Nervioso. A student of the famed founder of modern neuroscience, with Santiago Ramon y Cajal also serving as the Editor of the original text, Fernando de Castro recorded all the various protocols that had been used in his laboratory by his students in order to provide a manual of histological procedures specifically designed for the fine structure of the nervous system. This renowned text is virtually unknown in its original form outside the Spanish-speaking world.

In a text that reads like a mix between a recipe book and an alchemical manuscript, authors Miguel Merchan, Javier DeFelipe, and Fernando de Castro (descendant of the 1933 publication’s author) put the new translation into historical context. This book is also beautifully illustrated with plates of histological techniques, provides a quick guide to new vocabulary, and the author’s notes on the translated text. This pivotal work of classic neurohistological techniques is a wonderful addition to the Cajal library.