176 



CHAPTER VIII 



PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY AT HEIDELBERG; 



1858-1871 



THE move to Heidelberg involved a temporary interruption 

 of Helmholtz's important experimental researches. While 

 waiting eagerly in the hope that the new Institute might 

 be ready for his apparatus by the beginning of the session, 

 he occupied himself in endeavouring to finish Part II of 

 Physiological Optics by the middle of October. He writes to 

 Wittich that he is 'sticking over the after-images, and cannot 

 get to the end of them ' ; while after commencing his lectures 

 he was ' experimenting in acoustics on Sundays, and in spare 

 moments '. 



He soon settled down at Heidelberg with his family, and 

 writes on December n to his father: 'So far all goes well 

 with my official concerns in Heidelberg. I have as large 

 an audience, in spite of the reduced numbers of the medical 

 students, as I had in Bonn for physiology. Indeed, the number of 

 students is too large for the place, and we are rather crowded ; 

 but the plans for a new building are to be made out at once, 

 and then we can arrange ourselves better. 



' In November I was elected a corresponding member of 

 the Academy of Sciences at Munich, and have to-day received 

 my first Order, from Holland, of the Dutch Lion. Prof. Donders 

 writes from Utrecht that a new hospital for diseases of the 

 eye has been founded there under his direction, and opened 

 with much ceremony, on which occasion they thought it 

 becoming to celebrate the discovery of the ophthalmoscope 

 in this way. You see Heidelberg is bringing me luck as 

 regards outside recognition/ 



The father's answer expresses a lively satisfaction at the 

 happiness of his children. It was the last letter written by 

 the old man (now an invalid of sixty-seven) to his son; and 

 he ends with a vigorous criticism of a new work on the nature 



