Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1887

HERMANN LUDWIG FERDINAND VON HELMHOLTZ (1821-1894) Handbuch der physiologischen Optik. L. Voss 1867 xiv, 874 pp., illus., 11 plates (2 fold.). 22.7 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 1886

Because Helmholtz's name is linked so closely with physics and electrophysiology, it is sometimes forgotten that he was a physician who held posts at a number of prominent medical schools. It was during his tenure at Heidelberg that this monumental treatise on optics was written. Originally issued in parts between 1856 and 1866, the work provided the first real description of optical physiology including the mechanism of accommodation, the phenomenon of color vision, and the measurement of lens curvature.

Cited references: Cushing H231; Garrison-Morton 1513; Waller 4299

Gift of John Martin, M.D.