CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE 



or Virgil, most of which was tiresome to young 

 Helmholtz, he was endeavouring, below the table, to 

 work out problems and draw diagrams relating to the 

 passage of rays of light through a telescope. Even 

 then he worked out for himself some optical principles, 

 not expounded in ordinary text-books, which were of 

 use to him in later years, in the construction of the 

 ophthalmoscope. This was his apprenticeship in the 

 art of experimenting, in which he afterwards became 

 so proficient a master. He learned how to think out 

 the conditions of an experiment, turning the question 

 round and round, so that he might view it on all sides, 

 pondering over the possible ways of achieving the solu- 

 tion of the mechanical or optical problem before him, 

 until he got a clear idea of what had to be done. He 

 also developed a passionate zeal to find out the realities 

 of things, a zeal that continued throughout life, and 

 appeared to grow in intensity as the years flew onwards. 

 He was never satisfied with the apparent solution of a 

 problem, if there were still doubtful points in it, and 

 these he invariably attempted to clear up by bringing 

 them fairly before his own mind. 



It has been said by one who knew him well at 

 this early period of his life, that he was faithful to 

 his duties in great as well as in small matters. He 

 was zealous in his studies ; and in the autumn of 

 1838, after the abiturienten examination, he left the 

 Potsdam Gymnasium for the University with the 

 following certificate from his Rector : 

 5 



