SOME HISTORICAL LANDMARKS IN CELL THEORY OF THE BRAIN

1836   Purkinje (Czechoslovakia) roughly described the structures in the 
       cerebellum which were later to be named "Purkinje cells".

1838   M. Schleiden (Berlin) proposed that plants are composed of cells.

1839   T. Schwann (Berlin) PROPOSED that animals are composed of cells: 
       this is the basis of the cell theory.

1863   Deiters (Bonn) described the existence of an unbranched tubular 
       process (the axon) extending from some cells in the CNS.

1871   Gerlach proposed the Reticular Theory of Neurones - in this, the 
       nervous system is a net-like structure.

1873   Camillio Golgi discovered the "silver (or Golgi) stain" for neurones.

1887   W. His (Leipzig) studied the embryological development of the CNS
       and concluded that his data were consistent with the "cell theory" 
       and not the "reticular theory".

1888-1891   Santiago Ramon y Cajal (Barcelona) applied Golgi's staining 
       method and visualized neurones in their entirety. These studies 
       largely discredited the reticular theory.

1891   W. Waldeyer (Berlin). Cells in the CNS should be called "neurones".

1906   Ramon y Cajal and Golgi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

1950’s Electron microscopy finally confirmed the existence of individual 
       cells in the CNS.

1973-1980   Dr. King attended grad school and contributed absolutely
       nothing to this debate.