Galvanism and Science

1. By: Alexis Townshend and Carter Allensworth Galvanism and Science

2. What is Galvanism? • Electricity, especially as produced by chemical action. • The therapeutic application of electricity to the body.

3. Galvanism 1791-1854 • The term comes from physician Luigi Galvani who was the first to theorize that electricity is present in animals and humans. • The idea of electricity being applied to the body was explored by many other scientists including Isaac Newton, Caldini, and Fontana before Galvani’s theory. • Galvanism became extremely popular in the field of science after Galvani theorized that electrical fluid came from the human brain in 1791.

4. Galvanism 1791-1854 • In 1802 Scientists began experimenting with electricity on human corpses, whereas the experiments were previously performed on animals (Galvani is known for using frogs in his experiments). • Giovanni Aldini, Galvani’s nephew, took the theories of galvanism and even published a book about it. • Many of the experiments were performed in front of an audience. One of the most famous experiments was done by Aldini where he took a corpse and applied electricity to it, the corpse responded by twitching several times and even opening it’s eyes.

5. Electrophysiology • After the introduction of Galvanism, scientists and physicians continued to explore it and find ways in which it could be used to help with the medical and issues humans deal with. • Electrophysiology is the modern version of Galvanism meaning the branch of physiology dealing with the electric phenomena associated with the body and its functions. • In most cases Electrophysiology refers to the electrical activity in the heart or other vital organs; testing, or sending electrical currents through the heart nervous system.

6. Galvanism in Frankenstein • Galvanism is an important theme in Frankenstein, under the definition of bringing life to something using electricity. • Frankenstein is first acquainted with galvanism when, after a thunderstorm, a natural philosopher “entered on the explanation of a theory…on the subject of electricity and galvanism” (Shelly 22).

7. Galvanism in Frankenstein • The act of creating Frankenstein’s monster is a reference to the experiments conducted by Giovanni Aldini on the corpse of a murderer. • Similar to the behavior recorded of the corpse of the criminal, “the dull yellow eye of the creature [opened]; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs” (Shelly 35).

8. Galvanism in Frankenstein • Shelly uses galvanism not as a way of animating the dead in Frankenstein, though the study of many scientists of the time period was the reanimation of the dead. Rather, Frankenstein’s goal was to create life. • Frankenstein “found it impossible…[to] renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption” (Shelly 32).

9. Galvanism in Real Life • Frankenstein’s use of galvanism has, so far, proven impossible for us to replicate in real life. However, we do use it to give back life to those shortly deceased. • Thus, the most notable use of galvanism derived technology today is defibrillators, which are used to restart the heart of one who has been dead for a short while, by applying increasingly high voltages of electricity to their torso.

10. Mary Shelly’s Predictions • Mary Shelly predicted through her novel that humankind would unleash forces which we could not control, as Frankenstein did by creating a being stronger and better than he. • A prime example of forces beyond our control is the atom bomb, which promoted the nuclear apocalypse fears due to the nuclear arms pileup since the Cold War era.

11. Works Cited • http://corrosion-doctors.org/Definitions/galvanism.htm • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/galvanism • http://www.nlm.nih.gov/frankenstein/galvanism.html • http://corrosion-doctors.org/History/early-nineteen.htm • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/electrophysiology