Electricity and the body: a precollege demonstration laboratory

The active recruitment of students to scientific careers is essential to the continued health of the basic medical sciences. One step in this process involves an early exposure to the practice and possibilities of scientific investigation. Physiology faculty of colleges and professional schools are uniquely poised to demonstrate the importance of science to younger students. This report describes a laboratory demonstration that is designed for groups of middle-school and high-school students as a part of a medical school tour. With appropriate modifications, a similar approach can be used to demonstrate the principles of scientific investigation to students at any level. Subsequent discussions can be used to illustrate the potential benefits of medical research. Presentations such as the one contained in this paper may aid in the recruitment of future physiologists and physicians.