278 HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ 



the other 2,000 thalers should be forthcoming for the next year 

 from the funds of the Academy of Sciences, as an academic 

 stipend to be paid, like the University salaries, in annual 

 instalments during his life, by obtaining the necessary grant 

 from the General Revenue. 



Helmholtz now entered on a period of great agitation : to 

 the tension with which he awaited the conclusion of his appoint- 

 ment was added the increasingly threatening political news. 

 ' I was on the point of sending Kathe instructions for the 

 event of war/ he writes on July 3 to his wife, who, with the 

 children, was staying with her parents, 'when the telegram 

 came saying that Prince Leopold has been good enough to 

 abdicate. I wish King William had not intervened; it will 

 only produce a brief respite, and looks like a concession from 

 weakness.' 



In the days that followed he was much excited. Bunsen, 

 Kirchhoff, and Konigsberger took long walks almost every 

 day with him, and generally met him in the evening at the 

 Darmstadter Hof. On July n he wrote to his wife: 



' I am beginning to fear that we really are in for a war, 

 since the attitude of the French Government can only be 

 explained by supposing that they have been waiting for an 

 opportunity, and now think they have got a good one ; other- 

 wise it is all sheer madness. Nor do I think that the Prussians 

 will shirk the war, for once it is certain that it is bound to 

 come sooner or later, they will accept it at once. This may 

 alter all our plans and prospects very considerably/ 



Helmholtz's thoughts and time and energy were now wholly 

 taken up by the important events that were happening. 

 1 1 myself/ he writes early in October to du Bois, 'have worked 

 here for two months preparing the Field Hospital, and specially 

 undertook to manage the reception and expedition of the 

 wounded, and of the officials at the station. I went one day 

 with a party of the younger doctors to Worth, and learned 

 the horror of a battle-field after the battle. At one time this 

 intense activity was a godsend to work off our agitation ; but 

 afterwards, when things took a more peaceful course, and 

 there was less for me to do, I was warned by sharp and 

 recurrent attacks of headache that I needed rest. I first went 

 to my wife's relations at Starnberg, where our little family 



