Elements of electro-biology, or The voltaic mechanism of man. Title - 20. 1849The text is from Elements of electro-biology, or The voltaic mechanism of man written by the English electro-metallurgist and chemist Alfred Smee (18 Jun 1818 - 11 Jan 1877), the inventor of the Smee battery, alongside advertisements for scientific equipment of the period. Smee was a pioneer in the field of electrical physiology, the study of the production and use of electricity by biological organisms. The concept of electro biology had first been proposed in the late 18th century by the Italian physician and anatomist Luigi Galvani (September 9, 1737 – December 4, 1798). In 1780, he discovered that the muscles of dead frog’s legs twitched when struck by an electrical spark. Galvani’s work influenced Mary Shelley in writing about the reanimated creature created by Victor Frankenstein. The art appearing on top the text are mechanical diagrams from the period combined with original steam punk creations based upon the themes in the text.