Genre:

Essay, Biography

Subjects:

Scientific Practitioners, Mathematics, Nomenclature, Taxonomy

    In explaining the difficulty of the Russian language for most Germans, relates how 'Gauss, the celebrated mathematician, felt at one time the necessity of doing something to counteract the effect of his purely abstract studies. Two subjects presented themselves to him—the Russian language, and the cumbrous terminology of the Linnæan system. He determined to learn the latter by heart, and actually succeeded in doing so. The difficulty of conquering the intricacies of Russian was too much for him' (193).