title: From Galvani to patch clamp: the development of electrophysiology.
abstract: The development of electrophysiology is traced from the early beginnings represented by the work of the Dutch microscopist, Jan Swammerdam, in the 17th century through the first notion of an aqueous transmembrane pore as a substrate of excitability made by Luigi Galvani in late 18th century to the invention late in the 20th century of the patch-clamp technique by Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK. alex.verkhratysky@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verkhratsky
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Krishtal
authors.forename: Ole H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels