Cheap The Ambiguous Frog: The Galvani-Volta Controversy on Animal Electricity (Book) (Marcello Pera, Jonathan Mandelbaum) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Ambiguous Frog: The Galvani-Volta Controversy on Animal Electricity

A wonderful account of Galvani 's and Volta's 18th century controversy
You wouldn't think history of science could actually be interesting (especially in a book with a not so catchy title), but The Ambiguous Frog is extraordinarily well-written and engaging. It details the late 18th century controversy between physicist Alassandro Volta and physiologist Luigi Galvani on the nature of electricity in animals. Is the electricity responsible for producing muscular contraction *in* animals, which a bimetallic arc between muscle and nerve can *actively reproduce* in a dead specimen, or is the electricity *of* the animal, which a metallic arc merely passively indicates by discharging an *inherent imbalance* in a dead specimen? The Voltaists take one side, the Galvanists, the other. It's not a simple account of what experiment turned the tables on who, when, and how the other camp responds, but takes a deep, critical look at the motivating factors: the state of electrical knowledge at the time, the then current philosophy of science, and even psychological motivations in both theorists. Pera demonstrates clear command of the original texts, making valuable insights which guide you carefully, in the way of a storyteller, through the maze of events composing the Galvani-Volta controversy. This is an amazing work I would recommend to anyone unintimidated by the joy of scientific discovery. <
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>If you are not familiar with basic electrical theory, however, the book won't stop to review the fundamentals. Pera, rather, relies on the reader's background to understand the phenomena being observed. Furthermore, Pera rarely explains what the obsolete apperatuses being used and developed at the time do, or how they work, so again, you might keep Google handy if you aren't familiar with them (I wasn't). Pera also makes the choice to sprinkle in some references to major contemporary/recent philosophies of science in his discussion, but his work here is less insightful, and strikes me as something of an afterthought. The lucid historical exploration of the controversy is by far the more valuable aspect of the book. <
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>Again, this is a gread read. I highly recommend it.

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Galvani & Volta's photography
Galvani & Volta's photography