Two Scientists Share Nobel Prize for the First Time! A Case Study Developed for Exploring the History of Neuroanatomy

摘要

In this case, students read a ‘press release’ that describes the awarding of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramon y Cajal. The case was developed to highlight the historical significance of these first descriptions of the nervous system for an upper level undergraduate neuroanatomy course. The dialogue was presented in a way to pique the students’ interest by focusing on the disagreement between the two scientists on the structure and arrangement of neurons in the brain and peripheral nervous system. In the middle of the case, there were two concept check questions to ensure that the students understood the conflicting theories put forth by Golgi and Ramon y Cajal. At the end of the narrative, the class was broken into groups and assigned a series of questions to engage the students in reading primary literature (e.g., the acceptance speeches of both scientists), as well as secondary review articles on both Golgi’s and Ramon y Cajal’s contributions to the field of neuroscience. A series of primary and secondary articles was provided to the class, although this could be optional (depending on the course/level of students). Students presented their answers to the class in the form of short presentations. The case could also be used in an introductory neuroscience class to present the foundations of neuroanatomy, controversies in scientific discovery, biases that have existed or still exist, and how scientific information was disseminated prior to the 21^st century.