æt hɪz fˈɑːðɚz bᵻhˈɛst, hiː bɪɡˈæn stˈʌdiɪŋ mˈɛdəsən ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi fˈaɪv, ɪn bɜːlˈɪn, bˌʌt sˈuːn swˈɪtʃt tə fɪlˈɑːsəfi ænd hˈɪstɚɹi.
At his father's behest, he began studying medicine in 1835, in Berlin, but soon switched to philosophy and history.