CAJAL AND PAVLOV: A COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO CENTRAL NEUROSCIENTIFIC SCHOOLS OF THE 20TH CENTURY Carlos Blanco 1 Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) and Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) share some important features in common: both of them made outstanding contributions to the study of the brain; the two of them came from peripheral countries which had remained in deep isolation from the principal centers of scientific progress in the 19 th century (United Kingdom, France, and Germany); both of them achieved great recognition in their lifetime. Pavlov received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1904; Cajal won it in 1906, together with the Italian physician Camillo Golgi (1843-1926). Moreover, Cajal and Pavlov established well-known neurological schools in their respective countries, some of whose disciples became prominent figures in the fields of anatomy and physiology. Cajal’s discovery of the individuality of nerve cells opened the way for some of the greatest neuroscientific developments of the 20 th century. He refined Golgi’s silver staining technique and he offered a detailed description of the anatomy of the nervous system, culminating in his monumental Textura del Sistema Nervioso del Hombre y de los Vertebrados (1904-1906), perhaps “the most original work ever written in Neurology” (De Castro 1981:31-32). Initially interested in the study of digestion, Pavlov revolutionized the disciplines of psychology and physiology by elucidating the nature of conditioned reflexes after a series of famous experiments with dogs. He and his disciples discovered the role of the brain in salivary and gastric secretion (Pavlov 1902). His influence on our understanding of some forms of learning has been enormous (Todes 2000: 97-104), especially through key figures of the behaviorist school like John Watson (1878-1958). Pavlov headed the department of physiology at the Imperial Institute for Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg from 1890 until his death in 1936: around 45 years of leadership over numerous prominent disciples. Topics like the innervation of gastric glands, the physiology of pancreas and conditioned reflexes were fruitfully examined. His fame attracted relevant international professors and researchers, eager to work with the renowned Russian scientist. For example, in 1902 professors Konheim (Heidelberg University) and Chermak (University of Halle) carried their research under the direction of Pavlov. Russian disciples of Pavlov like Krasnogorsky and Nikiforovsky applied the study of conditioned reflexes to pharmacology. From 1891 to 1917, when the Russian Revolution took place, “more than 110 persons worked here during different periods of time under the direction of Pavlov” (Klimenko – Golikov 2003: 115). 1 Instituto de Cultura y Sociedad, office 2960, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona. E-mail: carlosblanco@unav.es Tlf.: (+34)948-425600, ext. 803417