How did Luigi Galvani think nerves carried electric fluid through the body?

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Galvani, Luigi — Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani in an illustration from *Le Journal de la Jeunesse*, Paris, 1880.

Luigi Galvani hypothesized that the brain was the primary organ responsible for secreting an innate "electric fluid," which he termed "animal electricity." He believed that the nerves functioned as conductors, carrying this fluid from the brain to the muscles.1

Galvani theorized that the muscle and nerve tissues acted similarly to the inner and outer surfaces of a Leyden jar, a device used to store static electricity. According to his model, the flow of this electric fluid through the nerves served as the necessary stimulus to trigger the contraction of irritable muscle fibers.1