Domingo Sánchez y Sánchez (1860–1947): Cajal’s man on the nervous system of invertebrates

Abstract

Domingo Sánchez y Sánchez (1860–1947), a distinguished disciple of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, played a fundamental role in the Spanish School of Neurohistology through the meticulous use of diverse staining and microscopic techniques in the study of the histology and physiology of the invertebrate nervous system, generating valuable contributions that were recognized and cited by the scientific community. His research covered a wide range of areas: he was initially an anthropologist and zoologist, later earning a doctorate in Medicine and specializing in the neurohistology of invertebrates, including the detailed study of the retina and nerve centers of insects, and the discovery of histolysis in nerve centers of insect larvae during metamorphosis, challenging scientific paradigms of the time. Furthermore, Sánchez’s work on the neurofibrils of insects was crucial in supporting Cajal’s neuronal theory and refuting Bethe and Apathy’s reticularist hypothesis. Additionally, he also made preliminary observations of the Golgi apparatus, the lysosomal system, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscles (Cajal-Fusari network). Domingo Sánchez y Sánchez’s exceptional scientific research and contributions to neurohistology in 20th century Spain continue to serve as a significant legacy.Life science identifiersApis mellifera: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9082C709-6347-4768-A0DC-27DC44400CB2Helix aspersa: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9099927E-24DF-4F89-B352-6B7902CD4A38

Cajal and his love for Nature: a sentimental essence in the legacy of neurosciences

“…He also became an elected member of several Academies and Institutions of Natural Sciences, including president of the Royal Spanish Society of Natural History in 1897, and honorary president in 1932, positions of which he always felt especially proud and honored. In this context, it is worth mentioning that there were many colleagues from different fields with whom Cajal would share, throughout his life, their mutual love for Nature; however, focusing among his admired neuroscientists, some of whom belong to the Spanish neurological school, the following stand out: Domingo Sánchez (1860–1947), Spanish physician and naturalist who had lived years of scientific adventures in the tropical jungle of the Pacific Ocean and later collaborated closely for decades with Cajal since the two met in 1899; Sánchez contributed significantly to the histological and physiological knowledge of the nervous system of invertebrates ( Serrano-Herrera and Espinosa-Sánchez, 2024 ). Fernando de Castro (1896–1967), Spanish physiologist and neuroanatomist, researcher of international prestige for carrying out the first description of a chemical and pressure biosensor ( de Castro, 1926 ; Ros-Bernal and de Castro, 2020 ), and who maintained a loyal and long-standing friendship with Cajal since 1918, increased by their mutual love of mountaineering.…”