Spain’s Journey in Medicine

It is generally known that the most important medical contributions to the world have been made by scientists from the UK, Northern Europe, America, and Italy. Nevertheless, Spain has produced lesser-known but significant medical contributions to the global community, often by scientists working almost alone (like Ramón y Cajal), in small groups, or primarily in foreign institutions. This book aims to provide readers, both specialists and the general public, with a selected group of contributions made by these scientists to the world medical community. It will depict fascinating stories from the old Islamic-Jewish times and the Renaissance, intertwined with religious Counter-Reformation idealism, as well as the organization of marine expeditions to bring newly discovered vaccines to the world.

Moreover, we will describe the establishment of surgical schools in Spain, the discovery of anatomical structures, the invention of laryngoscopy in opera singers in Paris, and the beginnings of vascular surgery. In more recent times, we will continue with the pioneering discoveries in neuroscience by Ramón y Cajal and his school, the discoveries of enzymes by Ochoa's school, which are important for the synthesis of RNA and DNA, worldwide known cardiologists, and the work of Oró in understanding the origin of life, concluding with current studies on genetics and cellular aging. Additionally, the Spanish Surgical Society has recently contributed to the development of one of the best-organized transplantation systems in the world and has taught the New Minimally Invasive Surgery abroad. This book is both enjoyable and instructive. The target group will be really very large.