聖地亞哥·拉濛－卡哈爾，西班牙人，神經科學之父，科學界的傳奇人物，1906年諾貝爾生理學或醫學奬得主。著有兩本重量級著作：《神經係統結構新論》與《人和脊椎動物的神經組織學》，為現代神經解剖學奠定瞭理論基礎。卡哈爾還是一位聲譽卓著的作傢。他的自傳《人生的迴顧》、格言集《咖啡絮語》文采斐然，成為西班牙文學經典而暢銷不衰。

Santiago Ramon y Cajal was a mythic figure in science. Hailed as the father of modern anatomy and neurobiology, he was largely responsible for the modern conception of the brain. His groundbreaking works were New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System and Histology of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates. In addition to leaving a legacy of unparalleled scientific research, Cajal sought to educate the novice scientist about how science was done and how he thought it should be done. This recently rediscovered classic, first published in 1897, is an anecdotal guide for the perplexed new investigator as well as a refreshing resource for the old pro.Cajal was a pragmatist, aware of the pitfalls of being too idealistic -- and he had a sense of humor, particularly evident in his diagnoses of various stereotypes of eccentric scientists. The book covers everything from valuable personality traits for an investigator to social factors conducive to scientific work.