Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with September 20.

Events

1786 – Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) recorded a pivotal observation in electrophysiology. A dissected frog’s leg contracted when the crural nerve was touched with a metal scalpel near an electrical machine, helping spark his theory of “animal electricity” and later work linking electrical stimulation to muscle (and cardiac) contraction.

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Births

1904 – George Quentin Chance (1904-1975), Irish radiologist; described the Chance fracture (1948)

1936 – Virginia Claire Canale (1936-2005), pediatric hematologist’ described Canale-Smith syndrome (1967)

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Deaths

1960 – Ernest William Goodpasture (1886-1960), American pathologist; described Goodpasture syndrome (1919)

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Further reading

• Galvani L. De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari commentarius, De Bononiensi Scientiarum et Artium Instituto atque Academia commentarii 7 (1791) 363–418.
• Piccolino M. Luigi Galvani’s path to animal electricity. C R Biol. 2006 May-Jun;329(5-6):303-18