Luigi Galvani

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Luigi Galvani

Italian physician and physicist

Written by Bern Dibner

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 30, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: September 9, 1737, Bologna, Papal States [Italy]

Died:: December 4, 1798, Bologna, Cisalpine Republic (aged 61)

Notable Works:: “Commentary on the Effect of Electricity on Muscular Motion”; “Dell’uso e dell’attività dell’arco conduttore nella contrazione dei muscoli”

Subjects Of Study:: bioelectricity; muscle contraction; nerve impulse

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Luigi Galvani (born September 9, 1737, Bologna, Papal States [Italy]—died December 4, 1798, Bologna, Cisalpine Republic) was an Italian physician and physicist who investigated the nature and effects of what he conceived to be electricity in animal tissue. His discoveries led to the invention of the voltaic pile, a kind of battery that makes possible a constant source of current electricity. Galvani followed his father’s preference for medicine by attending the University of Bologna, graduating in 1759. On obtaining the doctor of medicine degree, with a thesis (1762) De ossibus on the formation and development of bones, he was appointed ...(100 of 1121 words)

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