Ottomar von Mayenburg

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Ottomar Heinsius von Mayenburg (* 5. December 1865 in Schönheide ; † 24. July 1932 at Gut Roseneck am Wörthersee ) was a German chemist and the inventor of Chlorodont - toothpaste .

Life

Ottomar Heinsius von Mayenburg was the son of a higher official and the brother of the future architect Georg Heinsius von Mayenburg . He studied pharmacy and botany at the University of Leipzig and passed the state examination there. After graduating from Mayenburg went to Dresden and worked in the court pharmacy. He obtained his doctorate in 1901 at the Philosophical Faculty in Leipzig as a Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil.). He later took over the Löwenapotheke on the Altmarkt.

Development and sale of toothpaste

In May 1907, he began producing the Chlorodont toothpaste he had developed in the attic of this pharmacy on Dresden's Altmarkt by mixing tooth powder, mouthwash and essential oils. Von Mayenburg filled his toothpaste in tubes and thus competed with the then leading tube toothpastes Kalodont from Carl Sarg or Pebeco from Beiersdorf , which he soon outperformed through clever marketing.

From this idea, von Mayenburg developed a company that employed 60 laboratory technicians in 1917. The Chlorodont toothpaste began its triumphant advance, supported by massive advertising for the time.

He founded the Leo-Werke , which in addition to the Chlorodont toothpaste also manufactured the Leo pills. The tubes, the closures and the cardboard boxes were also made and the ingredients e.g. B. the natural limestone extracted in our own lime mining and the peppermint in our own plantation. In the 1920s, the Leo-Werke had over 20 branches in Germany, Europe and America with a total of over 1000 employees. Mayenburg bought four castles for himself and his children, including Eckberg Castle near Dresden. He showed a lot of social commitment for his workforce. So there was a company doctor and a canteen early on. There was a company-owned sports field (where a women's soccer team also played) and a rest home for employees in Kipsdorf (Ober-Kipsdorf) in the Ore Mountains.

The Chlorodont toothpaste was available in the Federal Republic until 1989. Chlorodont was still used as a brand name in the GDR in the 1960s. The sales-promoting bird pictures were also a popular exchange item for those interested.

In 2000 he was voted one of the “100 Dresdeners of the 20th Century” in the daily newspaper “ Dresdner Latest News ”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mahlke DZW p. 18
  2. ↑ 100 Dresden residents of the 20th century . In: Dresdner Latest News . Dresdner Nachrichten GmbH & Co. KG, Dresden December 31, 1999, p. 22 .

multimedia

  • "Herr von Mayenburg's toothpaste". A film by Götz Goebel (30 min.) For the SWR series “Patents & Talents”. First broadcast on December 29, 2007

literature

  • Rolf Mahlke: Mr. von Mayenburg's toothpaste . In: Die ZahnarztWoche 51–52 / 2007, pp. 18f

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Mayenburg, Ottomar von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mayenburg, Ottomar Heinsius von; Mayenburg, Ottmar Heinsius from
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pharmacist
DATE OF BIRTH December 5, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH Schönheide , Ore Mountains
DATE OF DEATH July 24, 1932
Place of death Roseneck am Wörthersee