. Bulletin. Science. '. ^>^tisr.^^'T- Figure i.—Galvani's experiments in animal electricity. From Luigi Galvani, De Viribus Electricitatis in Motu Musculari Commenlarius, Bologna, 1791, trans- lated by Margaret Foley, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1953, pi. 3. The Electrochemical Cell Luigi Galvani, professor of anatomy at Bologna, was studying the relation between electricity and mus- cular tissue when he discovered that if the exposed nerve of a frog's leg were touched by metals under certain conditions, a contraction of the muscle would result (figs. 1, 2). This discovery led Galvani to ex- plai
. Bulletin. Science. '. ^>^tisr.^^'T- Figure i.—Galvani's experiments in animal electricity. From Luigi Galvani, De Viribus Electricitatis in Motu Musculari Commenlarius, Bologna, 1791, trans- lated by Margaret Foley, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1953, pi. 3. The Electrochemical Cell Luigi Galvani, professor of anatomy at Bologna, was studying the relation between electricity and mus- cular tissue when he discovered that if the exposed nerve of a frog's leg were touched by metals under certain conditions, a contraction of the muscle would result (figs. 1, 2). This discovery led Galvani to ex- plain muscular contractions in terms of an electrical nervous fluid being conducted, stored, and dis- charged.' Tissue, living or dead, was the receptacle of this fluid, and so could act as a kind of Leyden jar. Previous experience had shown that a Leyden jar could produce a spark only after "electrical fluid" had been condensed in it; however, an electrical effect could be detected in the tissue each time. Because of this, the suspicion arose that perhaps the electrical fluid might be some kind of life force. ' Luigi Galvani, De Viribus Electricitatis in Motu Musculari Commenlarius, Bologna, 1791, translated by Margaret Foley, Burndy Library Publication No. 10, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1953. Galvani's explanation was first elaborated ^ and then contested ^ by Alessandro Volta, who finally concluded that animal tissue was not necessary to produce the electrical effect and that all that was needed was two dissimilar metals separated by a poor conductor.'' As a result of his research, Volta was able to design his famous voltaic pile (figs. 3, 4), which multiplied the effect of a single pair of dissimilar iTietals. The pile was formed by stacking pairs of metals separated by disks of paper moistened with salt water in the sequence: silver-paper-zinc-silver-paper- zinc, etc. These piles were found to increase their - Alessandro Volta, "Account of Some Discoveries Made by
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