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Research
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894), the namesake of the Helmholtz Association, is one of Germany’s most important researchers. He would have been 200 years old on 31 August.
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.
WHERE DOES HIS LEGACY LIVE ON AT JÜLICH?
In brain research, microscopy and thermodynamics as well as in pattern recognition through artificial intelligence – and in the quest to connect disciplines.
Illustration: Diane Köhne