Neurology and Psychiatry

Theories of the function of the nerves and the role of the brain in thought and sensation were only formulated in the eighteenth century even though the association between stroke and haemorrhage into the brain was known from ancient times. The discovery of electrical stimulation of muscle contraction by Galvani and Volta opened the way to experimental study of neurotransmission, but also to quack applications such as the Celestial Bed.

Mental illness has always occupied a special place in medical thinking and practice. The development of psychiatry and the study of thought and perception are modern developments.