Stories about the bright and dark side of scientific curiosity from a world-famous scientist. Fearing they would compromise his scientific career, neurobiologist Ramón y Cajal waited almost twenty years to publish these stories: five ingenious tales that take a microscopic look at the nature, allure, and danger of scientific curiosity. Now available for the first time in an English paperback edition, Cajal's stories reveal a great deal about the collusion of human ambition and greed that prey on the hapless, whether in the name of science, religion, or the state. Laura Otis, whose dual background in literature and science echoes that of the author, has written a substantial introduction that describes Cajal as a scientist and an artist. She has also crafted a sparkling translation that captures the wit and imagination of the original.