Which scientist won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on the structure of the nervous system?

Santiago Ramón y Cajal shared the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on the structure of the nervous system.

Using improved staining methods, Cajal produced detailed drawings of neurons and argued that the nervous system is made of discrete cells. This view became known as the neuron doctrine.

Cajal’s observations supported the idea that neurons communicate across small junctions rather than forming one continuous network. His meticulous illustrations remain influential in neuroscience and neuroanatomy.

He shared the 1906 prize with Camillo Golgi, whose staining method made many of these observations possible. Golgi favored a reticular theory in which nervous tissue formed a continuous network, so the shared award recognized scientists with contrasting interpretations.