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Le cœur mis à nu - continued...

In 1836, Wilhelm Weber (1804-1891) and Eduard Weber (1806-1871) published a study of the "Mechanics of the Walking Apparatus". To convince their readers of their mechanical theory of walking, they used a stroboscopic apparatus. If there was no "total numerical identity" between their theory and the results of their experiments, then there should be at least some visual evidence for it.

Illustration: Helmholtz, 1916 (Zootrope)
Helmholtz, 1916 (Zootrope)

For this purpose, the readers were asked to use a "Daedalon" (or "Zootrope", as it was later called). First, they were asked to draw images of the different phases of the walking process according to the theory put forth in the book. Then they were to place these images inside a rotating drum. While it was rotating and readers were looking in through the slots from outside they could see a perfect walking movement.

Reference: Schmidgen, Henning. 2001. Le cœur mis à nu. Movement-Images in Experimental Physiology, 1830-1860.. The Virtual Laboratory (ISSN 1866-4784), https://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/references?id=art4&page=p0003