CARL LUDWIG AND CARL THIERSCH. 347 



Ludwig's disinterestedness toward his pupils went to such an 

 extreme that he allowed works that had been accomplished under his 

 immediate supervision — generally, in fact, executed by his own hand, 

 and also, as a rule, prepared for editing by him — to go out into the 

 world under the name of the pupil who had assisted him. He not 

 only did this in the latter years of his life, as a world-renowned sci- 

 entist, but as early as the time of his stay in Marburg, at an age 

 and in a position in which young men are usually less generous with 

 their names. Under the names of Mogk, Spengler, Becher, and 

 others, Ludwig's youthful investigations went forth, and when in 

 1847 he published his invention, the kymographion, under his own 

 name, he apologized for it, saying that his young friend Gerau, then 

 otherwise engaged, should really have done this. And yet in this 

 case it was the question of one of the most important discoveries in 

 natural history, in view of its later consequences. Ludwig, by 

 means of his kymographion, introduced the principle of self -register- 

 ing apparatus into science — a principle the importance of which may 

 well be compared with that of the microscope, for it was first by 

 means of such apparatus working as time microscopes that it became 

 possible to directly observe and comprehend rapid and complicated 

 processes. 



As with the pupils in his laboratory, Ludwig also associated with 

 his students with friendly sympathy. They all felt this, and returned 

 it with warm attachment and respect. They usually attended each 

 of his lectures two or three times, as the beginners were hardly able 

 to master the information they received at the first hearing. In 

 especial physiological conferences Ludwig gave the students oppor- 

 tunity of talking with him personally. For my part, it was a con- 

 tinual source of astonishment to me to see how accurately Ludwig 

 was informed with regard to the industry and talents of the in- 

 dividual students. 



Ludwig's workroom was a place to which the most heterogeneous 

 elements had free access — foreign scientists, colleagues of all the 

 faculties, physicians, friends, and pupils. There one might at any 

 time seek his advice and enjoy the magic of his society. With his 

 many-sided and thorough education, and his ever quickly roused en- 

 thusiasm for all sorts of new problems and lines of work, it was easy 

 to interest him in questions of the most varied character. His great 

 knowledge of the world and of human nature made his conversation 

 a never-ending source of interest and information. Ludwig's point 

 of view was ever lofty; the lines of thought on which he worked 

 were always original, never commonplace. With his subtle humor 

 he would occasionally maintain a paradoxical opinion. If, however, 

 he was opposed by arguments that were repugnant to his idealism, 



