The making of a scientist
The boy from Potsdam
At the gymnasium: father and son
Becoming a medical doctor
Undiscovered
Gaining scientific renown
Scientific networking
In the private and the public eye
The new dispensation
Unhappy intermezzo in Bonn
The turning point
The new angel
The relations of science
The relations of music
Popularizing science in Britain and Germany
Learning to see the world
Almost a professor of physics
The road to Berlin
Scientific grandee
In the capital of Geist
The burdens of building physics
Among the elite
Kulturkampf in science, I
Kulturkampf in science, II
Anti-Helmholtz, again
In the scientific capitals of Europe
Institutional brilliance
Celebrations
Doyen
Science, art, and standards business
Charismatic leader
Atlantic crossings
Epilogue: Helmholtz in modern German memory.