Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

[Not Available].

K Klauss1

  • 1Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Akademie-Archiv.

NTM
|January 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Hermann von Helmholtz experimentally proved that nerve impulses travel at a measurable speed, refuting the "vital force" theory. His work quantified life processes as physicochemical, advancing scientific understanding of biology.

Related Experiment Videos

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Not Available].

NTM·1981
Same journal

NTM·2026
Same journal

Technology Acceptance from Above and Below. Negotiations of Energy Saving, Statehood, and Distributive Fairness in West Germany, 1976-1986.

NTM·2026
Same journal

Adapting to Modernity. River Engineering and Emotional Engineering in 1950s Sweden.

NTM·2026
Same journal

Consigning Technology Acceptance to History. Introduction.

NTM·2026
Same journal

"The Computer as a Sophisticated Disguise of the Devil" : Supposed Technophobia in German-Speaking Protestant Churches towards Electronic Data Processing (EDP).

NTM·2026
Same journal

[History of Nursing and Care as a Research Theme].

NTM·2026
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology
  • History of Science

Background:

  • Mid-19th century scientific landscape.
  • Prevailing vital force theories of life processes.
  • Helmholtz's early experimental research.

Discussion:

  • Helmholtz's experimental methodology.
  • Quantification of physiological processes.
  • Transition from vitalism to mechanism.

Key Insights:

  • Nervous impulses have a finite, measurable velocity.
  • Life functions are physicochemical, not due to a "vis vitalis".
  • Experimental evidence supporting a scientific understanding of life.

Outlook:

  • Impact on subsequent neuroscience research.
  • Historical significance of Helmholtz's findings.
  • Publication of previously unreleased historical scientific documents.