CHAPTER III 



STUDENT AT THE ROYAL FRIEDRICH-WILHELM 



INSTITUTE FOR MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



IN BERLIN: 1838-1842 



ON his arrival at the Royal Friedrich-Wilhelm Institute 

 (October, 1838), Helmholtz gave his parents a brief description 

 of the strictly regulated conditions of his new life : 



' I got here safely on Friday. My things arrived shortly after. 

 The servant and the porter made difficulties at first on account 

 of the piano, as there was no place for it in my quarters. 

 The room next this is intended for two, and has ample space. 

 Accordingly I deposited it there, and said that Surgeon-Major 

 Grimm had given me leave to bring it. The place is fairly roomy 

 for the two of us ; it is up two flights of stairs at the end of 

 the building opposite the entrance, so that I have to go half the 

 length of the Hoditzstrasse to reach the street. The room has 

 one inconvenience the three students who live in the next 

 rooms invariably pass through it, although this is forbidden, and 

 they ought to go across the yard ; but it can't be helped. It 

 would be hard for them if they wanted to call the servant to 

 have to go down two long flights of stairs, and then all the way 

 up again. In order to make this plainer I will draw you a little 

 plan. . . . My room-fellow is the son of a Silesian engineer ; 

 he has already been one half-year at the Academy, that is to 

 say, has attended classes and lectures, but did not lodge or take 

 food there. He has extraordinary execution on the piano, 

 but only cares for florid pieces and for modern Italian music. 

 A few other fellows have also been coming to our room, as 

 they had sent away their hired instruments during the 

 vacation, but we hope this will stop now. Frau v. Bernuth 

 has so far fed me sumptuously, so much so indeed that often 

 I can hardly get up the two flights of stairs to my room. Each 



