Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics.
What a great, enlightening start to a textbook! Wow! My own Statistical Mechanics prof was a alcoholic who would come to class drunk. Same reason! Pride. Human pride combined with what seem to be pure reason: kills. Is deadly. The trouble with pure reason is that it is tautological. And seems senseless at the same time it also tricks one into thinking it is the end all and be all. It ain't!