Pío del Río Hortega facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pío del Río Hortega
|
|
|---|---|
,_detalle.JPG)
Statue of Pío del Río Hortega outside Valladolid Science Museum
|
|
| Born | 5 May 1882 |
| Died | 1 June 1945 (aged 63) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Known for | discovering microglia |
Pío del Río Hortega (1882 – 1945) was a Spanish scientist. He made a very important discovery about tiny cells in our brain called microglia. These cells are like the brain's clean-up crew and protectors!
Contents
A Scientist's Journey
Early Life and Education
Pío del Río Hortega was born in a town called Portillo, Valladolid in Spain. This was on May 5, 1882. He studied hard in his local area. By 1905, he was qualified to work as a doctor. He then earned a special degree from the University of Madrid. For this, he studied diseases of brain tumors.
Discovering Brain Cells
In 1913, Río Hortega received money to study in France and Germany. He wanted to learn more about histology. This is the study of tiny body tissues. However, a war broke out between these countries. This forced him to return to Spain.
He worked with a famous scientist named Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Ramón y Cajal had discovered neurons. Neurons are the main cells that send messages in your brain. Río Hortega also worked briefly with Wilder Penfield.
Río Hortega's big discovery was microglia. These are special cells that protect your brain. They help fight off infections and clean up damaged areas. He found these cells between 1919 and 1921. He used a special way to stain the cells with silver carbonate. This made them visible under a microscope.
His staining method also led to another discovery. In 1921, he found cells called oligodendroglia. Both he and Penfield are known for finding these cells. However, it was Río Hortega who gave them their name.
Challenges and Moving On
Río Hortega's discoveries in 1920 caused some issues. His boss, Ramón y Cajal, had already won the Nobel Prize. By 1931, Río Hortega was leading Spain's cancer research center. But he had to leave Spain in 1936. This was because of the civil war happening there.
He first went to Paris, France. He worked at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Then, as World War II spread, he moved to the University of Oxford in England. There, he worked with a British brain surgeon named Hugh Cairns.
When Germany started bombing Britain during World War II, he moved again. In August 1940, he traveled to Argentina. A Spanish group helped pay for his move. They also supported him when he opened his own laboratory in 1942. In Buenos Aires, he taught many new scientists. Pío del Río Hortega passed away in Buenos Aires on June 1, 1945. He died from a serious illness.
See also
In Spanish: Pío del Río Hortega para niños
