Galvani Luigi. Memorie Sulla Elettricità Animale.. Bologna: Per Le Stampe Del Sassi, 1797

Galvani Luigi (1737-1798). Memorie sulla elettricità animale di Luigi Galvani. Al celebre Abate Lazzaro Spallanzani Pubblico Professore nella Università di Pavia. Aggiunte alcune elettriche esperienze di Gio. Aldini P. Prof. di Fisica. Bologna: Per le Stampe del Sassi, 1797.

First edition

Memorie sulla Elettricità Animale (translated as Memoirs on Animal Electricity) is a book by Italian physician and scientist Luigi Galvani, published in 1797. In this work, Galvani presents his groundbreaking experiments that led to the discovery of "animal electricity"—a term he coined to describe the electrical phenomena observed in the muscles of animals.

Galvani's experiments, particularly on frogs' legs, demonstrated that when certain metal conductors were applied to nerves or muscles, the muscles would twitch, even without direct stimulation from a traditional electric source. This phenomenon led him to hypothesize that there was an inherent "electric fluid" within living organisms, a key concept in early biophysics.

The book contributed significantly to the field of bioelectricity and laid the foundation for later developments in neuroscience, physiology, and electrical science. Galvani's ideas were a precursor to the understanding of the nervous system and electrical impulses, although the true nature of bioelectricity was more fully understood with the work of others, such as Alessandro Volta, who developed the first chemical battery in response to Galvani's findings.

105 numbered pages. 2 engraved folding. 4° (10,24x7,64mm).

Private collection

Some spotting, general wear, bumped.