The Dark Experiments of Giovanni Aldini: The Shocking Science Behind the Reanimation of Corpses
Whereas by the beginning of the 19th century, scientific progress was already gaining more momentum, and new discoveries began to challenge the frameworks of acceptance set by society. Probably the most sensational representative of that time became the Italian scientist Giovanni Aldini, notorious for his macabre experiments in reanimating corpses by using electricity. The spectacular public performances that demonstrated a lifeless body convulsing under the power of electrical currents blurred much the line separating life from death. The works of Aldini soon became infamous, influencing not only scientific debate but also popular culture, finding their most famous placing in Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein. This article examines some of the darker theories and eerie facts about Aldini's groundbreaking experiments.
The influence of Luigi Galvani and the birth of galvanism
Giovanni Aldini's work was influenced by his uncle, Luigi Galvani—one of the most famous scientists of his time and the founder of galvanism. Galvani's discovery of the contraction of muscles in dead frogs by the use of electrical stimulation marked a whole new understanding of bioelectricity. He proposed the idea of electricity concerning the vital processes, actually linking it with life.
Fascinated by these findings, Aldini continued his uncle's work. He felt that electricity not only provided the muscles in a dead body with contractions but also may be used to reverse the process of death itself. Coming out with this hypothesis, a number of ghastly experiments were conducted in which he attempted to bring back life into a dead human body, taking the frontiers of science and morality to an extreme limit.