Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) [Wikipedia] Animal Electricity

1791

Luigi Galvani was performing his electrical experiments with frogs and discussing his results in terms of "animal electricity." It was not the first time that animal electricity was discussed, but it was the first time that animal's reactions and natural or man-made electricity were connected. However, he made misconception on the generation of electricity. Alessandro Volta corrected Galvani's misconception and invented batteries. [1] or [2] "His admissis non inepta forte, neque a veritate omnino abludens hypothesis, atque conjectura illa esset, quæ muscularem fibram ad exiguam veluti quamdam leidensem phialam, aut ad simile aliud electricum corpus referret duplici, eaque contraria electricitate instructum; nervum autem phialæ conductori quodammodo compararet, atque totum propterea musculum cum leidensium phialarum congerie quasi componeret. " [3] "These things being admitted, it would perhaps not be an inept hypothesis and conjecture, nor altogether deviating from the truth, which should compare a muscle fiber to a small Leyden jar, or other similar electric body, charged with two opposite kinds of electricity; but should liken the nerve to the conductor, and therefore compare the whole muscle with the assemblage of Leyden jars." [1] Luigi Galvani Aloysii Galvani De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari commentarius (Ex Typographia Instituti Scientiarium, Bononiae, 1791) pp. 36-36. [Smithsonian] [2] Luigi Galvani Aloysii Galvani De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari commentarius (Apud Societatem Typographicam, Mutin, 1972) pp. 40-40. [Google] [3] Translations of Luigi Galvani's De Viribus Electricitatis L. Galvani: Commentary on the Effect of Electricity on Muscular Motion - A Translation of Luigi Galvani's De Viribus Electricitatis. Translated by Robert Montraville Green (Waverly Press, Baltimore, MD, 1953) pp. 61-61. [Archive]