The giant axon as experimental material
Working in Naples and Plymouth in the mid-1930s, Young introduced the squid giant axon to neurophysiologists. Its unusually large diameter made dissection and electrode insertion practicable, giving experimenters direct access to voltage differences across the nerve-cell membrane.
References: [2]
Connecting zoology and electrophysiology
The preparation’s value depended on recognizing animal structures and obtaining suitable marine material. Researchers including Cole, Hodgkin and Huxley subsequently used it for resistance measurements, intracellular recording and voltage-clamp experiments. Young’s zoological work thus connected with quantitative investigations of nerve signals.
References: [2]
Cephalopods, learning and brains
Young also investigated cephalopod nervous systems, memory, learning, and brain structure and function. His UCL archive includes extended Naples research, experiments and unpublished material, documenting a program that reached well beyond identifying a conveniently large nerve fiber.
References: [1]
Human anatomy and synthetic books
Young held UCL’s chair of human anatomy from 1945 to 1974 and continued research after retirement. Books including The Life of Vertebrates (1950) and The Life of Mammals (1957) brought zoology, anatomy and nervous-system questions into broad teaching accounts.
References: [1]