288 Notices res'pecting ISew Books, 



We have been unable to notice any errors or slips (with the 

 exception of one on p. 4, where a pressure of one atmosphere is 

 stated to be equal to 1-013 — instead of 1-013x10'^ — -dynes per 

 sq. cm.), and the book bears traces of exceptionally careful revision 

 throughout. 



The work is sure to meet with a very warm welcome from all 

 students of physical chemistry. 



Heemais-n vols' Helmholtz. By Leo KoENiGSBERaER. Erster 

 Band. Braunschweig : Eriedrich Vieweg uud ISohn. 1892. 



This first volume of the life of Helmholtz brings us to the period 

 when, as Professor of Physiology in Heidelberg, he was engaged on 

 the second part of his Physiological Optics and writing on 

 Klangfarbe, musical temperament and other subjects. 



The earliest chapters give a profoundly interesting account of 

 the extraordinary boy growing up in the metaph3'sical atmosphere 

 of his home-life but shaking off the trammels of metaphysics and 

 later the bondage of professional routine. Linguist, musician, 

 chemist, physicist, physiologist, and self-taught mathematician, 

 the young army doctor advanced to fame by a succession of memoirs, 

 teaching his contemporaries and the outgoing generation in every 

 domain of Science. A scientific post was found for the Militararzt so 

 early as 1848 (his 27th year) before his Dienstjahre were completed. 

 The record of the early years preceding this event and immediately 

 succeeding it is, in some respects, the most interesting part of this 

 interesting book. His position as supporter of Liebig in his fight 

 against vitalism, which led to his early paper on the nature of 

 decomposition and fermentation, is not very clearly given. On the 

 other hand the account of the circumstances attending the appear- 

 ance of his memoir on the Erhaltung der Kraft is excellent. 

 Poggeudorif refused it ! It was crowded out of the Annalen not 

 being exactly experimental in its nature " and you yourself know 

 how great is the bulk of experimental work now-a-days " wrote 

 the apologetic Editor to Magnus in 1847. And when it did appear 

 Helmholtz received from high military quarters the warmest praise 

 " for the practical use to which he had applied his studies.'^ 

 Would such happen to an E.A.M.C. " Student on Probation'' even 

 to-day? The full acknowledgement by Helmholtz of the claims 

 of Mayer and Joule, when subsequently he became aware of their 

 writings, is pleasant reading. 



In this country the account of Helmholtz's impressions on meeting 

 for the first time with W. Thomson (Lord Kelvin) will be read 

 with special interest. This was in 1855. The meeting led to forty 

 years of friendship. 



To reahse the sustained interest of the work the reader must 

 apply to the book itself. The Daguerreotype of Helmholtz at the 

 age of 27 is a most precious addition. The other portraits are 

 also good. J J 



