What approach to brain research did Fritsch, Hitzig, and Ferrier take? Did their results support Gall or Flourens? Explain.
The 18th century has been considered as one of the fastest century of the world and is often called the Age of Electricity by which the fascination of scientists led to the concept of electricity that is extended into physiology. A well-known physiologist, Emil Du Bois-Reymond, was considered as the “father of electrophysiology” because he identified the electrical basis of the action potential in muscles and nerves.
Two well-known physiologists, Gustav Fritsch and Eduard Hitzig, both performed a series of classical experiments by electrically stimulating the exposed regions of a dog’s cortex. They hypothesized two major discoveries such as the cortex is not considered as an insensitive region and they also discovered that a specific region of the cortex is stimulated, then they will elicits distinct muscular movements from the opposite sides of the body.
Another physiologist, David Ferrier, modified the cortical research that is carried out by Fritsch and Hitzig. He was able to produce a more identifiable map of the motor cortex in monkeys by the way of electrical stimulation. He was also able to elicit multiple behaviors such as the flick of an ear, twitch of an eyelid and the movement of digits that helped in the mapping of cortical regions corresponds to the audition, olfaction, sensation and vision.
Thus, there is a great deal of study of localization of function on cortex by the Fritsch, Hitzig and Ferrier approach towards brain research that eventually does not supports the Gall or Flourens traditional concept of phrenology in a broader viewpoint.