6. Trying Electric Shocks
Galvanism, or the science of producing muscular movement through electricity, was invented by Italian scientist Luigi Galvani at the end of the 18th century. His discovery would ignite popular imagination, ultimately inspiring Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in which a cadaver is given new life through electricity. In more practical terms, scientists quickly realized that using galvanism to test for muscular activity could be a new way to check for the certainty of death with Christian August Struwe first implementing the idea in 1805.
Research at the time indicated that galvanism was indeed a rigorous test for proving death. Sadly, the machinery was so expensive at the time that few hospitals could afford to use it. However, galvanism went on to have an illustrious career in pseudoscience as a panacea for countless illnesses, including mental illness. The 19th century saw the rise of galvanic baths as a treatment for the fashionable and wealthy. Special galvanic baths just for the extremities were even invented to allow high-class ladies to be treated without having to disrobe. However, galvanism simply never caught on for proving death.