Can a physician make a fundamental discovery in physics? A lawyer in mathematics? And how did the psychiatrist influence cybernetics?
Julius Robert von Mayer
He studied medicine in Tübingen, Munich, Paris. In 1840 he traveled to the island of Java as a ship's doctor. In the process of treating sailors with bloodletting, he noticed that in the equator region the venous blood was lighter than usual in northern latitudes, and approached the arterial in brightness. It was then that he suggested that by the color of the blood, one can understand how much oxygen the body has consumed. In 1842, he published a work where he pointed out the equivalence of the work expended and the heat produced, substantiating the first law of thermodynamics. Also, Yu. Mayer for the first time calculated, based on theoretical foundations, the mechanical equivalent of heat.
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand Helmholtz
Hermann Helmholtz entered the Royal Medical and Surgical Institute (Germany). He was engaged in medicine, but Herman was greatly fascinated by physics.
In his first scientific works, when studying the processes of fermentation and heat production in living organisms, Helmholtz came to the formulation of the law of conservation of energy.
Later Helmholtz formulated the laws of conservation of energy in chemical processes and introduced the concept of free energy in 1881.
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Pierre Fermat
Pierre Fermat is a lawyer by profession, but he has always been interested in mathematics. Pierre is considered self-taught, but at the same time he is also one of the founders of analytical geometry, mathematical analysis, as well as probability and number theory. Formulated one of the most famous mathematical puzzles of all time.
William Ross Ashby
The psychiatrist became one of the founders of cybernetics.
His specialization was psychological medicine, he worked as a clinical psychiatrist. In the 50s of the XX century, he began to get involved in biophysics and electrical engineering.
Ross Ashby is the inventor of the homeostat, the introduction of the concept of self-organization. He made a significant contribution to the study of complex systems. Formulated the law on the required variety, which was named after him (Ashby's law).
Gregor Johann Mendel
The Augustinian monk is considered a pioneer of genetics. He was interested in many sciences. He also learned several foreign languages, although he received unsatisfactory grades in biology and geology during his teaching examinations.
He is the founder of the doctrine of heredity. His discovery of the patterns of inheritance of monogenic traits was the first step in the development of genetics.
Ivan Petrovich Kulibin
Ivan Kulibin comes from a small merchant family. In his youth, he mastered carpentry and watchmaking.
Ivan loved to invent and tinker. His talent was appreciated by Empress Catherine. She appointed him head of the mechanical workshop of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Under the leadership of Kulibin, the craftsmen began to make all kinds of machines, as well as astronomical, physical, navigation and other devices and instruments.
Ivan Kulibin is the author of a number of unusual inventions. He created a floodlight with a parabolic reflector made of small mirrors, a water-powered riverboat that moved against the current, and a pedal-powered mechanical carriage.
What fascinates you? Is there a hobby that you can't tear yourself away from?