Adolph Lippe(1812–1888)

Physician, professor of materia medica in Philadelphia and author of the Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms

Adolph Lippe was a German-born Philadelphia physician and professor of materia medica whose Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms of the Materia Medica made the characteristic symptom the centre of homeopathic prescribing.

M.D., Allentown Academy (1841)Professor of Materia Medica, Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania (1863–1868)

About Adolph Lippe

Adolph Lippe was born in 1812 in Goerlitz, Prussia, into the noble family of the Counts zur Lippe. He emigrated to the United States in 1837, graduated from the Allentown Academy in 1841, and practised in Carlisle and then Philadelphia for the rest of his life.

From 1863 to 1868 he was professor of materia medica at the Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania. His teaching stressed the characteristic symptoms that identify a remedy, and his Text Book of Materia Medica (1866) and Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms became standard student texts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Lippe was a strict Hahnemannian and a vigorous defender of high potencies and the single remedy in the disputes of his time. Later prescribers in the classical tradition, including André Saine, cite him as a principal influence.

On Similia

Read Lippe's Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms free on Similia

Key works & contributions

Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms of the Materia Medica

A concise materia medica of the characteristic symptoms of the leading remedies, arranged for rapid comparison; the model for the later keynote literature.

Text Book of Materia Medica · 1866

Lippe's full materia medica for students, organised by remedy with the symptoms that distinguish each.

Areas of focus

Keynote prescribingCharacteristic symptomsClassical homeopathyHigh potencies

Frequently asked questions

Who was Adolph Lippe?

Adolph Lippe (1812–1888) was a German-born Philadelphia homeopath and professor of materia medica whose Key Notes and Red Line Symptoms taught prescribing on characteristic symptoms.

What are Lippe's Red Line Symptoms?

The characteristic symptoms that most strongly identify each remedy, marked as a red line through the materia medica, and used to confirm a remedy after repertorisation.

Where can I read Lippe online?

Lippe's Key Notes, Red Line Symptoms and Materia Medica are among the 21 classic books free to read and search on Similia.