Luigi Galvani (1737-1798), Italian anatomist. Galvani noticed that dead frogs twitched when included in a circuit with metals. This led him to propose that a new form of electricity (animal electricity") was responsible. He believed, however, that this was generated by the nerve and muscle tissue in the dead frog. This was later shown to be false by Volta in 1800, who showed that the current was generated by the metals. The galvanometer, used to detect electric current, is named after him, as is the process of galvanisation."