Giovanni Aldini
Giovanni Aldini | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Giovanni Aldini, 1829 | |
| Born | 10 April 1762 Bologna,Papal States |
| Died | 17 January 1834(aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of Bologna |
Giovanni Aldini(10 April 1762 – 17 January 1834)[1]was an Italianphysician[2]and physicist born inBologna.He was a brother of the statesman Count Antonio Aldini (1756–1826). He graduated in physics atUniversity of Bolognain 1782.[3]
He became professor of experimental physics atUniversity of Bolognain 1798, in succession to his uncleLuigi Galvani(1737–1798).[4]His scientific work was chiefly concerned withgalvanism,anatomy and its medical applications, with the construction and illumination oflighthouses,and with experiments for preserving human life and material objects from destruction by fire. He wrote in French and English in addition to his native Italian, and in Latin, still used in the 18th century by the scientific community. In recognition of his merits, the emperor ofAustriamade him aKnight of the Iron Crownand a councillor of state atMilan,where he died. He bequeathed a considerable sum to found a school of natural science for artisans at Bologna.[1]
Experiments
[edit]
Aldini's most famous public demonstration of the electro-stimulation technique of deceased limbs was performed on the executed criminalGeorge ForsteratNewgateinLondonin 1803.[5][6]The Newgate Calendar describes what happened when the galvanic process was used on the body:
On the first application of the process to the face, the jaws of the deceased criminal began to quiver, and the adjoining muscles were horribly contorted, and one eye was actually opened. In the subsequent part of the process the right hand was raised and clenched, and the legs and thighs were set in motion.[7]
Shelley's Frankenstein association
[edit]Mary Shelley(born Mary Godwin 30 August 1797) would have been only 5 years old in January 1803 when Aldini experimented on the corpse of George Foster. In her introduction to the 1831 edition ofFrankensteinshe does not mention Aldini, but "galvanism" was among the evening discussion topics before she experienced her "waking dream" that led to her writing.[8]Chapter 5, the creature awakened:
By the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.
References
[edit]- ^abOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Aldini, Giovanni".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 536.
- ^"This Real Doctor's Crazy Experiments Inspired 'Frankenstein'".All That's Interesting.20 November 2017.Retrieved4 April2020.
- ^Giovanni Aldini: From Animal Electricity to Human Brain Stimulation.
- ^Parent, Andre (December 2004)."Giovanni Aldini: From Animal Electricity to Human Brain Stimulation".The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.31(4): 576–84.doi:10.1017/S0317167100003851.PMID15595271.
- ^"AIM25 text-only browsing: Royal College of Surgeons of England: Aldini, Giovanni: Notebook".Aim25.ac.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved5 August2012.
- ^"Early Nineteenth century electrochemistry".Retrieved21 October2010.
- ^The Newgate Calendar – George FosterExecuted at Newgate, 18th of January, 1803, for the Murder of his Wife and Child, by drowning them in the Paddington Canal; with a Curious Account of Galvanic Experiments on his Body
- ^Shelley, Mary."Introduction"Frankenstein(1831 edition)Gutenberg
"Perhaps a corpse would be re-animated; galvanism had given token of such things: perhaps the component parts of a creature might be manufactured, brought together, and endued with vital warmth."
Further reading
[edit]- Dibner, Bern (1970). "Giovanni Aldini".Dictionary of Scientific Biography.Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 107–108.ISBN978-0-684-10114-9.
External links
[edit]- Mark Pilkington:Sparks of Life.Article fromThe Guardianabout Aldini's experiments on an executed criminal.
- A. Parent:Giovanni Aldini: from animal electricity to human brain stimulation.(PDF),Can J Neurol Sci. 2004 Nov;31(4):576-84.
