Nervous System — Key Discoveries

Key Discoveries

Luigi Galvani's 'Animal Electricity' (1791)

1791

Galvani's experiments with frog legs, where he observed muscle contractions when the nerves were touched with different metals, led to the discovery of 'animal electricity.' This…

Santiago Ramón y Cajal's Neuron Doctrine (Late 19th Century)

1880s-1890s

Using Camillo Golgi's silver staining method, Ramón y Cajal meticulously observed and drew individual neurons, demonstrating that the nervous system is composed of discrete,…

Hodgkin and Huxley's Action Potential Model (1952)

1952

Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley, working with the giant axon of the squid, elucidated the ionic mechanisms underlying the action potential – the electrical impulse that neurons use…