 In 1864 he received his medical degree from the University of Heidelberg, where for several years he served as an assistant to pathologist Nikolaus Friedreich (1825-1882).As a young man, he also worked for a period of time under Ludwig von Buhl (1816-1880) in Munich.In 1880 Erb attained the chair of special pathology at the University of Leipzig, where he was also appointed head of its policlinic.