Galvani, Luigi, << gahl VAH nee, loo EE jee >> (1737-1798), an Italian physician and anatomist, discovered that electric currents could cause contractions in muscles and nerves. He demonstrated such contractions in experiments with freshly killed frogs. His work laid the foundation for neurophysiology, the branch of physiology that deals with the nervous system.
Galvani won fame for his investigations into animal physiology during the 1770’s and 1780’s. He inserted brass hooks in the spinal cords of frogs and attached the hooks to an iron railing. When Galvani stimulated the frogs with an electric charge, their legs twitched. He assumed incorrectly that he had proved the existence of a special “animal electricity.” But he had unknowingly discovered what is still called galvanism—the production of an electric current from two metals in contact with a moist environment. See Electricity (Experiments with electric charge) .
Galvani was born on Sept. 9, 1737, in Bologna. He became a professor of anatomy and women’s health there. Galvani also became well known for his research on bones and on the kidneys and ears of birds. He died on Dec. 4, 1798.
