Auditory nerves fire directly in response to electrical current applied to the ear

Evidence

Around 1790, Alessandro Volta (the inventor of the battery) placed metal rods in his ears and connected them to a 50 V circuit. For his efforts, he got a jolt and heard crackling and gurgling noises—the first electrically induced hearing. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1964

Categorization

• SHARE: Send to anyone into the history of electrophysiology or batteries — Volta, inventor of the battery, ear-cracking himself.