Helmholtz's treatise on physiological optics [Review of the book Helmholtz's treatise on physiological optics, vol iii

Abstract

Reviews the book, Helmholtz's treatise on physiological optics, Vol III edited by James P. C. Southall (1925). This third volume, on "The Theory of the Perceptions of Vision," of Helmholtz's monumental work will be of even greater service to psychologists than the second volume. Here one finds Helmholtz treating of perception in general, monocular and binocular vision, perception of depth, direction and rivalry, and theories; and appendices by von Kries on spatial configuration and questions of innate dispositions and experience. The work stands as a great and unrivalled classic for the foundation of experimental and physiological psychology on the side both of fact and method. The science has still to wait for a work which will begin to do for complex mental processes what Helmholtz's genius and labor did for sensation and perception. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)