Hermann Rudolph Aubert
Encyclopedia
Hermann Rudolph Aubert was a German physiologist who was born in Frankfurt
. After being conferred a physician in 1850, he was a physiologist in Breslau and later a professor of physiology in Rostock
. He was also interested in zoology
, and with Friedrich Wimmer
(1803-1868), he published a German edition of Aristotle
's Historia Animalium.
Aubert is known for his research involving psychophysics
, including the way an observer perceives pattern, movement and orientation. He conducted several experiments regarding the phenomenon of dark adaptation
; namely the eye's ability to regain its sensitivity in the dark after it had been exposed to bright lights.
With ophthalmologist Richard Förster (1825-1902), he performed a series of tests concerning vision outside the point of fixation, which they referred to as indirect vision. Their findings were published in a treatise called Beiträge zur Kenntniss des indirecten Sehens (1857). From their work the eponymous "Aubert-Förster law" is derived. Aubert and Foerster's data show that visual acuity changes between central an peripheral vision in an approximately linear fashion with the visual angle of eccentricity. Another eponym named after him is "Aubert's phenonemon" which is an optical illusion
regarding the factual position of a subjective vertical line when an observer's head is tilted. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the dark.
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
. After being conferred a physician in 1850, he was a physiologist in Breslau and later a professor of physiology in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
. He was also interested in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, and with Friedrich Wimmer
Christian Friedrich Heinrich Wimmer
Christian Friedrich Heinrich Wimmer was a German botanist and educator who was a native of Breslau.He worked as a Schulrat in Breslau, and was the author of several publications of Silesian flora. He specialized in the study of the willow genus Salix...
(1803-1868), he published a German edition of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's Historia Animalium.
Aubert is known for his research involving psychophysics
Psychophysics
Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they effect. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, more completely, as "the analysis of perceptual...
, including the way an observer perceives pattern, movement and orientation. He conducted several experiments regarding the phenomenon of dark adaptation
Adaptation (eye)
In ocular physiology, adaptation is the ability of the eye to adjust to various levels of darkness and light.-Efficacy:The human eye can function from very dark to very bright levels of light; its sensing capabilities reach across nine orders of magnitude. This means that the brightest and the...
; namely the eye's ability to regain its sensitivity in the dark after it had been exposed to bright lights.
With ophthalmologist Richard Förster (1825-1902), he performed a series of tests concerning vision outside the point of fixation, which they referred to as indirect vision. Their findings were published in a treatise called Beiträge zur Kenntniss des indirecten Sehens (1857). From their work the eponymous "Aubert-Förster law" is derived. Aubert and Foerster's data show that visual acuity changes between central an peripheral vision in an approximately linear fashion with the visual angle of eccentricity. Another eponym named after him is "Aubert's phenonemon" which is an optical illusion
Optical illusion
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
regarding the factual position of a subjective vertical line when an observer's head is tilted. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the dark.