Johann Ritter, The Man Who Conducted Electrical Experiments On Himself
Wikimedia CommonsJohann Wilhelm Ritter famously discovered the process of electroplating.
While some scientists and philosophers vehemently disagreed with the ideas put forth by Galvani and Aldini, there were those such as Johann Ritter who readily embraced their theories with open arms.
Johann Ritter was a German physicist most famous for having discovered the ultraviolet region of the light spectrum. This was, of course, a massive breakthrough that helped humanity understand the world beyond what the naked eye could see.
And, according to a report published in the Review of Polarography, Ritter was also known for his own experiments with electricity. Namely, the ones he conducted on himself.
Ritter was actually a huge proponent of galvanism. He was a private scholar, meaning he didn’t have regular wages, so in order to make a living he often presented his ideas in the form of lectures. Among these were lectures presented to the Duke of Gotha on the subject of galvanism.
His fascination with the powers of electricity would ultimately lead to his discovery of electroplating. However, along the way, he also endured a fair amount of pain.
Using a voltaic pile — a battery made by placing pieces of cloth soaked in salt water between metal discs — Ritter touched electrically charged poles to various body parts, including his eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and hand. Ritter would endure the pain of the shock up to his absolute limit before recording his results.
In the end, Ritter concluded that electrochemistry (galvanism) is a permanent process that all living beings are in a constant state of undergoing. From this, he coined the term bioelectrochemistry.
