HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ

Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894), the namesake of the Helmholtz Association, is one of Germany’s most important researchers.

UNIVERSAL SCHOLAR

Helmholtz intertwined medicine, physics and chemistry. He was interested in optics and acoustics, meteorology and thermodynamics, but also in psychology, philosophy and music.

THINKER AND INVENTOR

He wrote many theoretical works, experimented and also invented technical devices, such as the ophthalmoscope, with which the fundus of the eye can be examined.

SCIENCE ORGANISER

He set up three scientific institutes, including the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin, which, for the first time, combined basic research with industrial application.

Most important finding

“Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form into other forms” – a fundamental principle in physics.

Medical detour

Helmholtz actually wanted to study physics. The family’s income, however, was not sufficient enough for that. Enlisting in military service ensured that he could study medicine almost free of charge.

This text is published in the effzett issue 2-21. Illustrations: Diana Köhne

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