Abstract
“Erb’s point” is the fifth point of auscultation for the heart exam, located in the
third intercostal space close to the sternum. It has sometimes been attributed to
famous German neurologist Wilhelm Heinrich Erb (1840 – 1921), but without historical
evidence. Erb’s focus on neurology suggested that the auscultation point may have
been confused with other points in the neck named after Erb. As Erb was a specialist
for neurological manifestations of syphilis, we speculated that the heart murmur of
aortic incompetence produced by syphilitic aortitis, best heard at Erb’s point, linked
Erb’s name to the auscultation point. However, we eventually found a publication by
an American physician who visited Erb’s lectures in Heidelberg and reported that Erb
explicitly introduced this “fifth point” in his case presentations in the late 1890 s.
After all, Erb was chair of general medicine, with the first German chair of neurology
only being established in 1919.
Der „Erb’sche Punkt“ gilt als der 5. Auskultationspunkt für die Herzuntersuchung.
Er wird gelegentlich dem Neurologen Wilhelm Erb zugeschrieben, aber es gibt dafür
bisher keinen historischen Beleg. Auch andere Punkte, die eher „neurologisch“ sind,
werden nach Erb benannt – könnte es sich also um eine Verwechslung handeln? Dieser
Beitrag sucht nach dem wahren Namensgeber für den Erb’schen Auskultationspunkt.
Schlüsselwörter
Wilhelm Heinrich Erb - Erb’scher Punkt - Herzauskultation - Aortenklappeninsuffizienz
- Eponym
Key words
Wilhelm Heinrich Erb - Erb’s point - cardiac auscultation - aortic insufficiency -
eponym
