Timothy Field Allen(1837–1902)

Physician, dean of the New York Homoeopathic Medical College and author of The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica

Timothy Field Allen was a New York physician, botanist and medical-college dean whose Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica collected the proving symptoms of the homeopathic remedies in ten volumes.

M.D., New York University (1861)Dean, New York Homoeopathic Medical CollegePresident, American Institute of Homeopathy

About Timothy Field Allen

Timothy Field Allen was born in Westminster, Vermont, in 1837 and graduated in medicine from the New York University Medical College in 1861. After service as a surgeon in the Civil War he settled in New York, where he practised and taught for the rest of his life.

Allen was professor of materia medica and later dean of the New York Homoeopathic Medical College, and president of the American Institute of Homeopathy. Between 1874 and 1879 he compiled The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica, ten volumes recording the symptoms of the provings, followed by a Handbook of Materia Medica and Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1889) that condensed it for practice.

Outside medicine Allen was a noted botanist, an authority on the stoneworts (Characeae), and a member of the Torrey Botanical Club.

On Similia

Read Allen's Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica free on Similia

Key works & contributions

The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica · 1874–1879

Ten volumes of proving symptoms for the homeopathic remedies, arranged by region; the primary source that later repertories and materia medicas drew on.

A Handbook of Materia Medica and Homoeopathic Therapeutics · 1889

A one-volume condensation of the Encyclopedia for use in practice.

Areas of focus

ProvingsPure materia medicaHomeopathic educationBotany

Frequently asked questions

Who was Timothy Field Allen?

Timothy Field Allen (1837–1902) was a New York physician and dean of the New York Homoeopathic Medical College who compiled The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica, the largest record of proving symptoms.

Is T. F. Allen the same as H. C. Allen?

No. Timothy Field Allen wrote the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica; Henry Clay Allen (1836–1909) wrote Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons and the materia medica of the nosodes. Both are free on Similia.

Where can I read Allen's Encyclopedia online?

The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica is one of the 21 classic books free to read and search on Similia.