Hallerian physiology was a theory competing with galvanism in Italy in the late 18th century.
It is named after Albrecht von Haller, a Swiss physician who is considered the father of neurology.
The Hallerians' fundamental tenet held that muscular movements were produced by a mechanical force, different from life and from the nervous system, and which operated beyond consciousness.
The activity of this function could be controlled in dead and dissected animals by touching a metal knife to the muscle fiber or by a spark being discharged on them.
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