Neurology is a very intriguing field of human anatomy and medicine that deals with the function, structure, influence, and disorders of the nervous system.

To start off, the nervous system is the major control, regulatory, and communication system in the body. It is made up of a complex network of nerves and neurons that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to the various parts of our body. The nervous system has two main parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. On the other hand, the peripheral nervous system is made up of nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and extend to all parts of the body, as well as ganglia, which are groups of neurons. 

Before we can get into discussing the nervous system and its interworkings, like how it controls body movement or how it processes vision, we need to look at something more fundamental, electricity. Let us go all the way back to 18th century Bologna, Italy to understand the importance of bioelectricity. 

Luigi Galvani was a well-known physicist and physician who resided in Bologna. In 1771, when he was dissecting a frog during his study, his assistant accidentally touched a nerve in the frog’s leg with a metal scalpel that had previously received a static charge. This caused the frog’s leg to move. The sudden reanimation of the frog’s leg was perplexing and unprecedented during this time. Galvani, at this point, thought that he had discovered the key to life, essential electricity within all animals that orchestrates body movement. He even went as far as postulating the idea that there was an electric fluid within the frog, as well as in other animals, that causes movement of the body. 

Alexandro Volta, another physicist and a contemporary of Galvani, repeated the same frog experiment but doubted the existence of an electrical fluid essential to animals. Spurred on by Galvani’s theories, Volta went on to develop the first battery, proving that electricity similar to the internal electricity of animals could also be generated outside of the body. 

Galvani, like other scientific historical figures of the time, died impoverished and depressed, but his name lives on. Volta created the term galvanism, to refer to the electrical phenomena in living creatures. Galvani’s name is used as the root for several modern terms, such as galvanic and galvanometer. Both Galvani’s and Volta’s discoveries ignited the importance and study of bioelectricity and electrochemistry. Though Galvani’s theories on the intrinsic animal electricity weren’t completely on target, he definitely was onto something. Galvani’s research led to the understanding that bioelectricity plays a central role in the function of the nervous system. 

Neurology is very interesting because it involves the nervous system’s function and impact on the body. In the upcoming blog, we will be discussing voltage and electrical potential, which is what mediates the nervous system’s function.