Luigi Galvani
Luigi Galvani | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Galvani at the Palazzo Poggi | |
| Born | 9 September 1737 |
| Died | 4 December 1798 (aged 61) Bologna, Cisalpine Republic |
| Known for | Galvanism |
| Relatives | Giovanni Aldini (nephew) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of Bologna |
Luigi Galvani (/ɡælˈvɑːni/ gal-VAH-nee, US also /ɡɑːl-/ 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.: 67–71 This was an early study of bioelectricity, following experiments by John Walsh and Hugh Williamson.