CHAPTER I 



THE PARENTAGE OF HERMANN VON 

 HELMHOLTZ 



HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ was the son of August Ferdi- 

 nand Julius Helmholtz, who was born on December 21, 

 1792, in Berlin, and was educated at the Friedrichs-Gymna- 

 sium; he matriculated on October 15, 1811, in the Theological 

 Faculty of the University. Notwithstanding a feeble consti- 

 tution, he took part in the campaign of 1813-1814, was sworn 

 in as a volunteer at Breslau immediately after the Royal Pro- 

 clamation on March 30, 1813, and was promoted to be second 

 lieutenant on September 8, after the battle of Dresden. 



After the Peace of Paris, 1814, he obtained his discharge, 

 and returned to Berlin, but felt himself obliged to give up 

 his theological studies from conscientious motives, since he 

 was unable to reconcile himself to the hyper-orthodox views 

 that prevailed at the time. He therefore chose the study of 

 the classical languages as his profession, although his inclina- 

 tions would have led him to prefer philosophy. 



A protracted nervous fever obliged him to relinquish the 

 campaign of 1815, when he accepted a temporary engagement 

 as private tutor to a couple of talented and industrious lads 

 with whom he was happy and contented ; and he only parted 

 from them reluctantly in order to provide for his future, and 

 ure himself a permanent position. 



After passing a qualifying examination in Berlin he was 

 pointed form-master at the Potsdam Gymnasium in 1820, 

 d became Professor by Royal Patent in 1828. 

 Directly after his appointment to the Gymnasium he married 

 raulein Caroline Penne, the daughter of a Hanoverian 

 tillery officer, who was born on May 22, 1797. She was 

 descended in the male line from the famous American colonist 

 William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, and on her mother's 



I 



