title: [The black reaction: an ante litteram "cognitive" biotechnology].
abstract: The black reaction, also known nowadays as "Golgi staining" or "Golgi impregnation", paved the way to the development of modern neuroscience at the end of XIX century. By this staining, the silhouette of the nerve cell appears in all its morphological complexity with all its ramifications, which could be followed and analyzed even at a great distance from the cell body. However the reaction has been fundamental for discoveries in several other areas of biomedical research: cytology, myology, bacteriology. With the aid of the black reaction, for example, it was possible to observe: the Golgi apparatus, the T system related to the function of the sarcoplasmatic reticulum, the Müller-Golgi canaliculi of the peptic glands and many more; this wide and various success is due to its character of morphological amplification of fine structures. In spite of its still controversial biochemical nature, the black reaction has been an unavoidable versatile tool in different areas of biology, so we propose to consider this method as an ante litteram "cognitive" biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Colture Cellulari, Dip. di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Pavia, I.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quattrocelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mazzarello
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000266:history*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000266:history*; D006056:Golgi Apparatus; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents