Hermann von Helmholtz 1847
The Warm Breeders 3
The first theorem of thermodynamics states that heat is the result of a transformation of energy from one type to another and that no energy is lost in a closed system. Interestingly enough, it was the beer brewer James Prescott Joule and the physicians Julius Robert Mayer and finally Helmholtz who formulated the theorem of the conservation of energy, all probably inspired by their professions. Helmholtz was already from a young age interested in physics. However, he had to choose a career as an army surgeon to be able to study. His ability to transform his observations of the human body into practical physical innovations in the fields of optics and acoustics enabled him to change to a scientific career. He was one of the last universal scholars and was an authority in science in the newly formed German empire.