Galvanisme

Galvanisme (galvanism) refers to the study and application of electrical phenomena in living systems, particularly the stimulation of muscles and nerves by electrical currents. The term derives from the work of Luigi Galvani in the 1780s, who observed that frog legs contracted when touched by metal during an electrical encounter. He attributed the contractions to “animal electricity” produced by the nervous system, a finding that helped inaugurate bioelectricity as a field.

A contemporary controversy followed when Alessandro Volta argued that the observed effects arose from the contact between different metals, not from intrinsic animal electricity. This disagreement spurred Volta to develop the voltaic pile, the first practical battery, and intensified investigations into electricity and physiology. The ensuing decades produced increasing evidence for electrical signaling in nerves and muscles, contributing to the emergence of modern electrophysiology.

In medical history, galvanic stimulation was trialed as a therapeutic modality in the 19th century for conditions such as paralysis and pain. The term persisted in popular and clinical language for some time, though many early therapies were refined or abandoned as understanding advanced. In contemporary science and medicine, direct-current and pulsed electrical stimulation are used in neurophysiology and rehabilitation, but such work is described with more precise terminology rather than the historical label galvanisme.

Today, galvanisme is principally of historical interest, illustrating early attempts to quantify life processes with electricity. The concept helped stimulate the discovery of nerve impulses and laid groundwork for later electrotherapy technologies.