Luigi Galvani 1737-1798
Luigi Galvani was a
medical student who became Professor of Anatomy at the University of Bologna
and it was quite by accident that he discovered Bioelectricity. In 1780 Galvani
conducted experiments using frogs legs and found that when an electric charge
was applied to the nerves or muscles the muscles contracted. The electric
charge came from an electrostatic machine called a Leyden jar. Galvani was also
able to cause contraction of the muscles in the absence of a charge, which led
him to conclude that this was a new form of electricity produced by living
tissue.