Presentation

Spanish Society of Neurology www.sen.es
Spanish Society of Neurology's Museo Archivo Histórico http://mah.sen.es

Since its inception in 1949, the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) has grown and evolved steadily. Proof of its progress is the quality clinical care provided by neurologists across Spain, and our neurologists' adoption of the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques which yield excellent results.

The ground-breaking discoveries made by Ramón y Cajal and his school of neurohistology were followed by a pro¬longed dry spell caused by the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and Spain's subsequent period of isolation.

Through its continuous and expanding cooperative activities (in its annual meetings, numerous working group meet¬ings, and congresses), the SEN has developed the high scientific standards which enable everyone in Spain to have access to excellent neurological care.

The SEN's growing contributions to research and literature in the neurosciences are now recognised on the international level. This is the result of our continuous efforts throughout the society's entire 63-year history. The many endeavours of the pioneers of clinical neurology and the accomplishments of Ramón y Cajal's celebrated school of histology deserve their place in history. It would be a tragic loss if future generations of neurologists had no knowledge of the “life and miracles” of the founders of the SEN or the doctors who developed clinical neurology in Spain in the late 19th century.

In its corporate capacity, the SEN has constituted a number of study groups corresponding to different areas of study within neurology. The Study Group for History was formed in 1986, and since that time it has welcomed many new members.

In 2007, the Steering Committee made the well-advised decision to found the SEN's Museum; not long after that, in 2011, it created MAH SEN, the museum's historical archive.

The launch of Neurosciences and History is a milestone representing the SEN's emphasis on researching the history of our Society and any other areas related to the neurosciences, including those bridging the gap between science and the humanities.

As director of this journal, it is my pleasure to encourage all neurologists, Spanish or otherwise, to submit their articles on the history of the neurosciences. Scholars of the history of neurosciences now have a forum in which to describe the birth of the specialty for our interested readers. They may also illustrate the lives of the doctors who, beginning in the mid-19th century, used only a reflex hammer, a needle, and a tuning fork to describe most neurological conditions.

We hope that the SEN's new offering will represent the achievement of yet another of our aims, in this case, to comple¬ment our colleagues' medical training with a thorough grounding in the history of neurology.

Dr Miquel Balcells Riba
Director
Neurosciences and History