Luigi Galvani

Pioneering study of animal electricity, establishing early bioelectrical principles.

Chronology: 1737-09-09 – 1798-12-04

Origins & Early Life

Luigi Galvani ( gal-VAH-nee, US also gahl-; Italian: [luˈiːdʒi ɡalˈvaːni]; Latin: Aloysius Galvanus; 9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798) was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher who studied animal electricity. In 1780, using a frog, he discovered that the muscles of dead frogs' legs twitched when struck by an electrical spark. This was an early study of bioelectricity, following experiments by John Walsh and Hugh Williamson. == Early life and career == Luigi Galvani was born to goldsmith Domenico Galvani and Barbara Caterina Foschi, in Bologna, then part of the Papal States.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

A portion of his childhood home still stands in the Giardino Salvatore Pincherle. As a teenager, he regularly attended the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri of Bologna, where he developed a strong religious sentiment that later prompted him to join the Third Order of Saint Francis. In 1754, Galvani enrolled at the University of Bologna, where he studied theoretical medicine under Jacopo Bartolomeo Beccari, a student of Marcello Malpighi. He also attended lectures on natural history and experimental physics held in the Institute of Bologna by Giuseppe Monti and Domenico Maria Gusmano Galeazzi. In...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Source: Wikipedia