Robert Mayer Quotes
The physiological combustion theory takes as its starting point the fundamental principle that the amount of heat that arises from the combustion of a given substance is an invariable quantity-i.e., one independent of the circumstances accompanying the combustion-from which it is more specifically concluded that the chemical effect of the combustible materials undergoes no quantitative change even as a result of the vital process, or that the living organism, with all its mysteries and marvels, is not capable of generating heat out of nothing.
Mayer, Julius Robert von. Die organische Bewegung in ihrem Zusammenhange mit dem Stoffwechsel. C. und J.G. Cotta'sche Buchhandlung, 1845.
At the time few chemists or physicists were involved with biological and medical research, nor did the physicians and biologists of the day have much background or understanding of physics or chemistry. Abel was right on, and today the best medical and biological researchers have had extensive physics and chemistry research and much of the research is being conducted by multidisciplinary teams of scientists.
Sir Robert Mayer CH KCVO was a German-born philanthropist, businessman, and a major supporter of music and young musicians.
