Quick Info Born 31 August Potsdam, Prussia now Germany Died 8 September Berlin, Germany Summary Hermann von Helmholtz was a German mathematician who trained as a medical doctor and made important contributions to mathematical physics, optics and acoustics as well as to physiology and psychology.
View fifteen larger pictures. Hermann was the eldest of his parents four children. His childhood had a strong influence on both his character and his later career.
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In particular the views on philosophy held by his father restricted Helmholtz's own views. Ferdinand Helmholtz had served in the Prussian army in the fight against Napoleon. Despite having a good university education in philology and philosophy, he became a teacher at Potsdam Gymnasium.
It was a poorly paid job and Hermann was brought up in financially difficult circumstances. Ferdinand was an artistic man and his influence meant that Hermann grew up to have a strong love of music and painting. Caroline Helmholtz was the daughter of an artillery officer. From her Hermann inherited [ 1 ] Hermann attended Potsdam Gymnasium where his father taught philology and classical literature. His interests at school were mainly in physics and he would have liked to have studied that subject at university.
The financial position of the family, however, meant that he could only study at university if he received a scholarship. Such financial support was only available for particular topics and Hermann's father persuaded him that he should study medicine which was supported by the government. In Helmholtz was awarded a government grant to enable him to study medicine at the Royal Friedrich-Wilhelm Institute of Medicine and Surgery in Berlin.
