Plate 1 from Giovanni Aldini, An Account of the Late Improvements in Galvanism, 1803 (Image found on Special Collections and Archives)
And, before you think "Frankenstein!", no, I'm not talking about him - although I kind of have been in a Frankenstein-mood lately, hummm! Anyway, remember the other day when I wrote about Galvanism? Well, today I read about its most curious applications, performed by none other than Giovanni Aldini, the nephew of Luigi Galvani, who quite possibly was one of the inspirations for Mary Shelley's work.
Aldini, a 19th century Italian physicist spent most of his life testing the medical applications of his uncle's discovery and ended up becoming quite a celebrity. For his contributions to science, the emperor of Austria even made him a Knight of the Iron Crown!
"But what did he do?", you might be wondering. Your actual question should be "what DIDN'T he hook up to batteries?!" I'll tell you what, the man experimented with every animal he could get his hands on, from cows and dogs... To humans. Yeap. Human corpses, you've heard me. He traveled Europe with a kind of "science circus" in which he electrocuted carcasses and corpses for the delight of the audience.
In January 1803, Aldini presented his most famous experiment. He was given the body of a hanged criminal, George Forster, who had been executed for the murder of his wife and child. Displaying Forster's body for the public to see, he electrocuted his face, which started to twitch and move; his mouth and eyes opening and, according to all accounts, he looked very much alive. But believing he did not freak out the people and humiliated Forster enough, Aldini stuck an electrified rod straight up the corpse's, ahm, bottom, after which the body started to kick and punch around so much, most people were sure he came back to life and started screaming about hanging him again. Oh, 19th century people... How do you kill something that's already dead?
Aldini, a 19th century Italian physicist spent most of his life testing the medical applications of his uncle's discovery and ended up becoming quite a celebrity. For his contributions to science, the emperor of Austria even made him a Knight of the Iron Crown!
"But what did he do?", you might be wondering. Your actual question should be "what DIDN'T he hook up to batteries?!" I'll tell you what, the man experimented with every animal he could get his hands on, from cows and dogs... To humans. Yeap. Human corpses, you've heard me. He traveled Europe with a kind of "science circus" in which he electrocuted carcasses and corpses for the delight of the audience.
In January 1803, Aldini presented his most famous experiment. He was given the body of a hanged criminal, George Forster, who had been executed for the murder of his wife and child. Displaying Forster's body for the public to see, he electrocuted his face, which started to twitch and move; his mouth and eyes opening and, according to all accounts, he looked very much alive. But believing he did not freak out the people and humiliated Forster enough, Aldini stuck an electrified rod straight up the corpse's, ahm, bottom, after which the body started to kick and punch around so much, most people were sure he came back to life and started screaming about hanging him again. Oh, 19th century people... How do you kill something that's already dead?
~Ally
RSS Feed