The joys and tortures of Ludwig Boltzmann, or permanence of a chance. Part II: the battle on the road

Part II. The triumph and tragedy of Ludwig Boltzmann, a romantic thinker, luminary of physics and man for all time, is embodied in the cataclysms of science and the world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The stages of a long journey in science and life are traced with signs of suicidal behavior maturing over the years against the background of cumulation of chronic mental and somatic ailments, a vicious circle of multiplying psychosocial distress. Mutual devotion to family and purpose (creativity) served as protective (anti-suicidal) factors and brightened up the darkest days. If possible, the testimonies of contemporaries, biographers, excerpts from personal letters and speeches of Professor Boltzmann are given, emphasizing the incarnations of a unique personality: the overthrower of dogmas and traditions, the rebel-demon of the most tender quivering soul and the passion-bearer.