galvano-, galvan-

An Italian anatomist and physiologist, he noticed in 1780 that the muscles of dissected frog legs twitched wildly when a spark from a Leyden jar (early device for storing electric charge) struck them. Since electric shocks made living muscles twitch, why not dead ones, too?

Since Benjamin Franklin had shown that lightning was electrical in nature, Galvani wondered whether muscles would twitch if exposed to a thunderstorm. So, he placed frog muscles on brass hooks outside the window so they rested against an iron latticework.

The muscles did indeed twitch during the thunderstorm, but they also twitched in the absence of it. In fact, they twitched whenever they made simultaneous contact with two different metals.

Apparently, electricity was involved, but where did it come from, the metals or the muscles? Galvani decided it was the muscles, and he spoke of animal electricity. In this, he was mistaken, but electricity was involved with nerve and muscle action just the same.

Additional info about Luigi Galvani

Galvani is famous for the discovery of animal electricity, inspired by his observation that dead frogs suffered convulsions when fixed to an iron fence to dry. He then showed that paroxysms followed if a frog was part of a circuit involving metals, wrongly believing the current source to be in the material of muscle and nerve.

1. Caused by, or producing, an electric current.
2. Relating to electricity generated by a chemical reaction.

A galvanic cell is an electric cell; such as, found in household and car batt4ries, that makes use of galvanic reactions to act as a power source.

1. Current electricity.
2. That branch of physics that deals with electric currents.
3. Treatment of disease by electricity.

Someone who is a specialist in galvanism.

The use of galvanism in treatment or in electroplating metal.

1. To stimulate, spur, or to jolt into action: "The pollution in the river helped to galvanize the drive for cleaner water."
2. To stimulate by or as if by a galvanic (electrical) current.
3. In medicine, to stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current (distinguished from faradize).
4. To startle into sudden activity; to stimulate.
5. To coat (metal; especially, iron or steel) with zinc.

Galvanized steel has gone through a chemical process to keep it from corroding. The steel gets coated in layers of zinc because rust won't attack the protective metal. For countless outdoor, marine, or industrial applications, galvanized steel is an essential fabrication component.

The principal method of making steel resist corrosion is by alloying it with another metal; such as, zinc. When steel is submerged in melted zinc, the chemical reaction permanently bonds the zinc to the steel through galvanizing. The zinc isn't exactly a sealer, like paint, because it doesn't just coat the steel; it actually permanently becomes a part of it.

The zinc goes through a reaction with the iron molecules within the steel to form galvanized steel. The most external layer is all zinc, but successive layers are a mixture of zinc and iron, with an interior of pure steel. These multiple layers are responsible for the amazing property of the metal to withstand corrosion-inducing circumstances, such as saltwater or moisture. Besides being inexpensive and effective, galvanized metal is popular because it can be recycled and reused multiple times.

Electrogalvanizing deposits the layer of zinc from an aqueous electrolyte by electroplating, forming a thinner and much stronger bond.

and

Metal, or something made of metal, that is covered with a thin protective layer of zinc.

1. A skilled worker who coats iron or steel with zinc.
2. A leader who stimulates and excites people into action.

To heat galvanized iron or steel until the zinc coat melts and alloys with the base.

Relating to the use of galvanic (dynamical elecricity) heat as a caustic, especially in medicine.

Cautery processed by a knife or needle heated with the passage of a galvanic electrical current.

The ability of muscle to respond to a continuous, direct electric current.

A reference to the simultaneous use of galvanic and faradic currents.

Faradic currents or faradism pertains to the therapeutic application of faradic current (asymmetric alternating current) which is used principally for the stimulation of muscles and nerves.

An instrument for testing taste sensation by applying an electrical stimulus to the lingual mucosa.

The radiation of light by tissue, caused by a galvanic electrical current.