Groundbreaking designs 1851-1882
In collaboration with the surgeon Professor Victor von Bruns, Christian Heinrich Erbe developed new designs that set new standards in the field of Medicine.
When Christian Heinrich Erbe returned to Tuebingen from his travels as a qualified precision mechanic in 1848, times were troubled. There was no German nation state as yet, and the small German states found themselves in a situation of commercial and political unrest. The Revolutions of 1848/49 shook Europe as well as its inhabitants. In these uncertain times, the young tradesman debated whether he should try his luck in America, like hundreds of thousands of his contemporaries. However, that's when he met Marie Lenz. They married, and Christian Heinrich Erbe opened a mechanics workshop in Tuebingen on October 1st, 1851 at no. 3 Holzmarkt.
Prior to his travels, Erbe had been apprenticed to Johann Gottlieb Buzengeiger, a Tuebingen-based university specialist in mechanics who enjoyed an outstanding reputation. With his in-depth knowledge
and conscientious approach, Erbe soon won the trust of eminent university professors. In collaboration with the surgeon Professor Victor von Bruns, he developed new designs that set new standards in the field of medicine. Shortly after establishing his workshop, Christian Heinrich Erbe also began trading third-party products in the fields of optics and medical devices.
Christian Heinrich Erbe also held a number of honorary offices. He was municipal councilor, alderman, a judge in orphan affairs, and, until late in life, a sworn measures verification official. In 1882, he transferred the workshop to his son Christian Gottlieb.
In 1902, Christian Heinrich Erbe died at the age of 81.