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ExhibitionBoundary Crossing / 1818

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  • Three scientists experimenting on headless human cadavers with electrical equipment.
    Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme, tome premier, 1804

    Illustration from Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme, tome premier (Theoretical and Practical Essay on Galvanism, first volume), 1804

    Author: Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834)
    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    In Giovanni Aldini’s demonstrations, the application of electrical current produced twitching of the eye and other movements.

  • Scientists experimenting on headless ox cadaver with electrical equipment.
    Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme, 1804

    Illustration from Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme (Theoretical and Practical Essay on Galvanism), 1804

    Author: Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834)
    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    To the astonishment of his audience, when Italian physician Giovanni Aldini applied electricity to a beheaded ox, the eyes opened, the tongue moved, and the nose of the animal stirred.

  • Scientists experimenting on headless ox cadaver and its head with electrical equipment.
    An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism, 1803

    Illustration from An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism, 1803

    Author: Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834)
    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    In London in 1803, Italian physician Giovanni Aldini administered electrical current to the ears and nose of a recently beheaded ox.

  • Scientists experimenting on human cadavers with electrical equipment.
    Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme, 1804

    Illustration from Essai Théorique et Expérimentale sur le Galvanisme (Theoretical and Practical Essay on Galvanism), 1804

    Author: Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834)
    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    Audiences throughout Europe attended demonstrations of the effects of electricity on animal and human bodies, including those conducted by Italian physician Giovanni Aldini.