In 1837, Italian physician Camilo Golgi devised a reaction to stain the wispy dendrites and axons of neurons, making it possible to see brain cells in situ. In 1875, he published his first scientific drawing made possibly by his chemical reaction, seen here. It’s an illustration of the never fibers, gray matter, and other components of a dog’s olfactory bulb. “The First Neuron Drawings, 1870s” (The Scientist)
The first drawings of neurons
