The classic image of a scientist looking through a microscope is an apt description of histology. It includes the traditional tasks of tissue cultures, preservation and staining techniques. The more modern tasks of chemical fixtures, freezing, dehydration, infiltration and embedding are also part of histology. But recent developments include DNA replication, antibodies and immunohistochemistry.
To discover the cellular structure of the brain, Camillo Golgi created a unique silver nitrate staining technique that allowed Santiago Ramón y Cajal (the father of neuroscience) to examine the structure of central nervous system cells. This led to more evidence that nerves are not single fibers (continuous) but are a series of neurons with multiple synapses (contiguous).
