Born into a wealthy Canary Island family, Negrín studied Medicine at the German universities of Kiel and Leipzig. After completing his Bachelor’s and doctoral degrees at the latter university, he joined the Institute of Physiology of the same university. In 1915, as a result of the difficulties he faced developing his research because of the First World War, he returned to Spain, resigning from his faculty position as “Privatdozent”. In 1916, Negrín was appointed Director of the Laboratory of General Physiology, established by the Commission of Extension Studies and chaired at that time by Santiago Ramón y Cajal. 

Negrín gained recognition for his qualifications in Medicine in 1920, and he also earned another doctoral degree from the University of Madrid, holding the chair of Physiology at the same university in 1922. He joined a group of young researchers working at the Laboratory and in the department of Physiology, which included Severo Ochoa de Albornoz.

Throughout the 1920s, Negrín participated in the renewal of medical studies in Spain and at the university itself, holding the position of Registrar at the Council of the University City.

In the late 1920s, Negrín became more engaged in politics. During the Second Republic he held a parliamentary seat for three terms in office and during the Spanish Civil War he served as Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of Spain. After the war, he lived in exile in France and the United Kingdom.

 

Juan Negrín López's writings in the UCM Library

Writings about Juan Negrín López in the UCM Library

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