Reminiscences of Erb

To the Editor:—  An historical communication in The Journal (182: 940 [Dec 1] 1962), listing the achievements of one of my teachers, Erb, prompts me to add this note of personal reminiscence.Wilhelm Heinrich Erb came from Winnweiler in the Rhenish Palatinate of grass-roots stock. His speech had a Palatinate intonation. His words were direct, simple, at times gruff, but their gruffness was that of country-folk, not a metropolitan snarl. The communication states that he was "described as a stern teacher who commanded respect more than emotional warmth...." "Stern" is not the term to describe Erb; he lacked neither warmth nor compassion. Simple and straightforward he was, in his expressions, his tastes, his mind, and his actions. These qualities led him to abhor pretentiousness and to express a distaste for Berlin and Imperial Court doctoring that he was at no pains to hide.Another statement in need of clarification is that