Alexandre Dogiel


Alexander Stanislavovich Dogiel, was a Russian histologist and neuroscientist. The cells of Dogiel, bipolar neurons of the spinal ganglia, are named after him.

Biography

Dogiel studied at Kazan University where he graduated in 1883. He inaugurated his career in 1885 as a monitor in embryology. Then he taught and practiced histology, first in Tomsk from 1888, then in 1892 at the Saint Petersburg Medical Institute where he was entrusted with the organization of the histology laboratory. He founded the Russian Archives of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology.
Dogiel lived and worked in isolation, rarely but authoritatively publishing lengthy and richly illustrated articles. His work focused on degenerative and regenerative neuromuscular junction abnormalities, neuromuscular spindles, and various cellular categories within the central nervous system. He demonstrated a mastery of silver staining techniques and some of his illustrations contain a level of detail comparable to that which can be obtained using a low-power electronic microscope.
Dogiel was an important figure in Russian histology. He trained Russian scientists such as Vladimir Bekhterev, Babukin, Yakulovich and Doinnikov in this specialty, but never went to visit his colleagues from Western Europe.

Major works