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German physician and physicist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–94) made important contributions to a variety of scientific fields. He was the first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse, and in 1851 he invented the ophthalmoscope, which is still used to inspect the interior of the eye. Helmholtz also developed acoustic instruments to experiment with the relationship of sound to the human ear. Each of his resonators, such as the group shown here, were tuned to a specific frequency to identify and amplify sound. In the 1863 book On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music, Helmholtz laid the scientific foundation for music theory. “Curiosity & Discovery: Antique Scientific Instruments” is on display post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and online at: https://bit.ly/AntiqueScientificInstruments. All objects are courtesy of Mark McElyea.
This image was posted on January 03, 2022.