This book deals with an exemplary episode in the history of science: the controversy between the supporters of Luigi Galvani’s theory of animal electricity and its opponents, led by Alessandro Volta. The episode’s importance was aptly described by one of the scientists extensively involved in its early aftermath: “The storm aroused by the publication of [Galvani’s] Commentarius among physicists, physiologists, and physicians can be compared only to the storm that at the same time [1791] arose on the political horizon of Europe”.
And the enduring relevance of the controversy is demonstrated by the fact that one of its key aspects is still open to debate.
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