Richard Caton
Encyclopedia
Richard Caton of Liverpool
, England
, was a scientist who was crucial in discovering the electrical nature of the brain and laid the groundwork for Hans Berger
to discover Alpha wave
activity in the human brain.
In July 1875 Caton reported to the British Medical Association
in Edinburgh that he had used a galvanometer
to observe electrical impulses from the surfaces of living brains in animal subjects. After Caton died, Hans Berger
was one of few to recognize his importance and cited him in his 1929 report on the discovery of Alpha waves. He wrote:
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was a scientist who was crucial in discovering the electrical nature of the brain and laid the groundwork for Hans Berger
Hans Berger
Hans Berger was born in Neuses near Coburg, Bavaria, Germany. He is best known as the first to record human electroencephalograms in 1924, for which he invented the electroencephalogram , and the discoverer of the alpha wave rhythm known as "Berger's wave".- Biography :After attending...
to discover Alpha wave
Alpha wave
Alpha waves are neural oscillations in the frequency range of 8–12 Hz arising from synchronous and coherent electrical activity of thalamic pacemaker cells in humans...
activity in the human brain.
In July 1875 Caton reported to the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
in Edinburgh that he had used a galvanometer
Galvanometer
A galvanometer is a type of ammeter: an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an analog electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection of some type of pointer in response to electric current flowing through its coil in a magnetic field. .Galvanometers were...
to observe electrical impulses from the surfaces of living brains in animal subjects. After Caton died, Hans Berger
Hans Berger
Hans Berger was born in Neuses near Coburg, Bavaria, Germany. He is best known as the first to record human electroencephalograms in 1924, for which he invented the electroencephalogram , and the discoverer of the alpha wave rhythm known as "Berger's wave".- Biography :After attending...
was one of few to recognize his importance and cited him in his 1929 report on the discovery of Alpha waves. He wrote:
Caton has already published experiments on the brains of dogs and apes in which bare unipolar electrodes were placed either on the cerebral cortex and the other on the surface of the skull. The currents were measured by a sensitive galvanometer. There were found distinct variations in current, which increased during sleep and with the onset of death strengthened, and after death became weaker and then completely disappeared. — Translated by Cohen, 1959.
External links
- Tim's History of EEG with an excerpt of Caton's report. Accessed 2006-12.