The Cajal Legacy
The Cajal Legacy consists of a collection of more than 28,000 scientific and personal possessions: furniture, instruments, histological preparations, documents, drawings, photographs and personal objects. All these pieces reveal the different facets of Cajal, researcher and teacher, as well as his work and that of his closest disciples in the laboratory. It is a heritage collection that is still fully alive, not only because of its unquestionable historical value, but also because it forms the basis of various studies, research and theses, while at the same time it is a highly sought-after collection both to illustrate and to publicize the work of the father of neurobiology.
In May 2023, the Cajal Legacy was deposited at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN) by instruction of the Presidency of the CSIC. As the new depositories of this universal collection, and in view of its status as a unique collection of great scientific and historical interest, the MNCN is mandated to work on its conservation and dissemination. The measures adopted to ensure the preservation, dissemination and accessibility of this Legacy are included in this document published in June 2024 by the CSIC. In addition, the legacy was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2024.
The most outstanding categories of assets found in the Legacy are:
- Scientific drawings
- Histological preparations
- Documentary collection
- Photographic collection
- Bibliographic collection
- Scientific and technical instruments
- Artistic and decorative arts collection
