How did Hermann von Helmholtz contribute to the study of electricity and magnetism?

Hermann von Helmholtz made significant contributions to the study of electricity and magnetism by applying the principles of classical mechanics to electrodynamics.1

His key contributions include:

• Development of Electrodynamic Theory: Helmholtz was among the first German scientists to recognize the importance of the work of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell. He sought to reconcile Faraday’s rejection of "action at a distance" with Newtonian physics by further developing the mathematical framework of electrodynamics.1
• The Particulate Nature of Electricity: Drawing on his expertise in electrochemistry and Faraday’s laws of electrolysis, Helmholtz argued in 1881 that if chemical atoms existed, then electricity must also have a particulate nature. This hypothesis anticipated the discovery of the electron.1
• Ether-based Modeling: He attempted to reduce all electromagnetic effects to a set of mathematical principles derived from the properties of the ether, a medium then thought to pervade space.1

While his specific theories were later superseded by Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity, his work was instrumental in the development of classical physics.1