Madrid, histological city: The scientific, artistic, and urbanized vision of santiago ramón y cajal

This essay seeks to synthesize the scientific production and artistic vision of Santiago Ramón y Cajal in the context of nineteenth-century urbanization. In particular, it underscores the technological advance of microscopic perception and Madrid's urban environment, which are manifest in his fantastical story titled "El pesimista corregido." In this story, published in his volume Cuentos de vacaciones, one finds reason for understanding Ramón y Cajal's emphasis on a creativity that transcends the borders of a pure science. The three sections of the present essay expound upon the intersection of his highly visual sensibility and the visual discourses of urban life and modernity.