Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777). 1856 illustration of the Swiss anatomist and physiologist Albrecht von Haller. Von Haller worked on the nervous system, and recognised the tendency of muscle fibres to contract when the attached nerve is stimulated. He showed that only the nerves can transmit sensation. He wrote the first physiology textbook and worked on the circulation, respiration and digestion. He was the first to assess the effect of a medicine by testing it on the healthy. He was also a poet, bibliographer, botanist and political writer.