GALVANISM

GALVANISM is one of the names of a particular branch of the science of electricity, given in honour of Luigi Galvani, from whose observations and experiments the historical development of current electricity dates. The term itself is rarely used now; and the subject will be found treated under ELECTRICITY. There are, however, other expressions which have been derived from the same source, and which are in common use. Such are galvanic current, galvanic cell, galvanic battery, and galvanometer. Voltaic may be, and very often is, used in place of galvanic in the first three expressions; but galvanometer is the one name for an instrument which measures the strength of an electric current by means of its effect upon a neighbouring magnet. The gradual disuse of the term galvanism is probably due to the recognition in these later times of the fact that, although Galvani's experiments were the beginning of the new era in electricity, it is to Volta that we are specially indebted for the development of the science along purely physical lines.