HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ 275 



From these efforts to imitate living creatures, another idea, also by 

 a misunderstanding, seems to have developed itself, which, as it were, 

 formed the new philosopher's stone of the seventeenth and eighteenth 

 centuries. It was now the endeavour to construct a perpetual motion 

 machine. Under this term was understood a machine which, without 

 being wound up, without consuming in the working of it, falling wa- 

 ter, wind or any other natural force, should still continue in motion, 

 the motive power being perpetually supplied by the machine itself. 

 Beasts and human beings seemed to correspond to the idea of such an 

 apparatus, for they moved themselves energetically and incessantly as 

 long as they lived, were never wound up, and nobody set them in mo- 

 tion. A connection between the taking in of nourishment and the 

 development of force did not make itself apparent. The nourishment 

 seemed only necessary to grease, as it were, the wheel- work of the 

 animal machine, to replace what was used up, and to renew the old. 

 The development of force out of itself seemed to be the essential 

 peculiarity, the real quintessence of organic life. If, therefore, men 

 were to be constructed, a perpetual motion must first be found. 



Another hope also seemed to take up incidentally the second place, 

 which, in our wiser age, would certainly have claimed the first rank in 

 the thoughts of men. The perpetual motion was to produce work in- 

 exhaustibly without corresponding consumption, that is to say, out of 

 nothing. Work, however, is money. Here, therefore, the practical 

 problem which the cunning heads of all centuries have followed in 

 the most diverse ways, namely, to fabricate money out of nothing, in- 

 vited solution. The similarity with the philosopher's stone sought by 

 the ancient chemists was complete. That also was thought to contain 

 the quintessence of organic life, and to be capable of producing gold. 

 The spur which drove men to inquiry was sharp, and the talent of 

 some of the seekers must not be estimated as small. The nature of 

 the problem was quite calculated to entice poring brains, to lead them 

 round a circle for years, deceiving ever with new expectations, which 

 vanished upon nearer approach, and finally reducing these dupes of 

 hope to open insanity. The phantom could not be grasped. It would 

 be impossible to give a history of these efforts, as the clearer heads, 

 among whom the elder Droz must be ranked, convinced themselves of 

 the futility of their experiments, and were naturally not inclined to 

 speak much about them. Bewildered intellects, however, proclaimed 



