It is a fundamental tenet of science that the laws of nature are universal. Thus the task of biophysicists is to account for the workings of living organisms in terms of physical laws. This book seeks to trace this endeavor in the area of voltage-sensitive ion channels. Like all subjects, electrophysiology has a history. In this chapter we will briefly review the early history of bioelectricity.
The common view of science as an edifice that is built up steadily, with no retreats, is not correct, as pointed out by Thomas Kuhn.2 Sometimes a “brick” inserted into the structure doesn't fit right, and the parts built on top of it become ragged and uneven. Experimental results become puzzling and inexplicable. Eventually the problem becomes so obvious that something has to be done about it. Part of the building has to be dismantled, the misfit brick removed and replaced, and rebuilding started from there. So the history of science, in addition to its phases of steady growth, also has its revolutionary changes, which Kuhn called paradigm shifts. These shifts require a readjustment in our concepts, which is difficult at best.
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(2009). Animal Electricity. In: Leuchtag, H.R. (eds) Voltage-Sensitive Ion Channels. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5525-6_3
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