16 HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ 



the lecture was almost over it was no use going in, so I looked 

 at the subjects which had been brought for dissection, and had 

 been partly cut up. I did not experience any disagreeable 

 sensations. 



' We have forty-eight lectures in the week : six on Chemistry 

 in Mitscherlich's house, six on General Anatomy, four on 

 Splanchnology, three on Osteology, three on the Anatomy 

 of the Sense-organs. All these in addition to the Osteology 

 at the anatomical theatre. Then four on Physics by Turte, 

 two on General Medicine with Hecker at the University, two 

 on Logic by Wolf in the anatomical theatre! three on History 

 by Preuss, two on Latin by Hecker, one on French by Pastor 

 Gosshauer in the Institute. Besides these we have twelve hours 

 of revision classes, but these only begin in a fortnight's time. 



' You must not be afraid that I shall give up my music, for 

 the new style my comrade admires so much does not satisfy 

 me, and I am obliged to play myself to hear anything better. 

 Besides which, other people's expression and execution seldom 

 satisfy me; I always care much more for music when I am 

 playing it myself. The food in the Institute is not so bad 

 as most people make out, though less good than in a private 

 home. We can have two helpings of soup and vegetables, 

 but only one of meat. Or instead of vegetables we may have 

 sauce over the meat, with potatoes. Dr. Grimm has been in 

 to see if everything was right ; he came to me, and asked about 

 the classes, what I thought of the food, and so on.' 



In spite of these good accounts the anxious mother sent her 

 husband off to Berlin to make sure of their son's welfare, and 

 only after that does she write cheerily to her boy that 'all 

 beginnings are hard', and crack jokes with him in her usual 

 merry fashion. 'Wilhelm Wilkens,' she says, 'was here the 

 other day, to ask what father found when he went to see 

 you. He hurried along to school with him without speaking; 

 but father understood, and gave him all the news of you. 

 Oh you dumb, self-contained, reserved creatures! Unless you 

 alter, people will have nothing to say to you. . . . Write to me 

 of your classes, your chilblains, your tempers, your discontent, 

 and the good things that happen to you. God grant you may 

 do the right, and leave the wrong undone/ 



Young Helmholtz devoted himself impartially to the study 



