The Knipps: Generations of Physicians

Written by our friend, member, and physician, Harry Knipp, MD. 

I recently found an old book that my dad, Harry Lester Knipp, MD, had given me years ago. It was on the shelf at 4116 Edmondson Avenue when they were packing up the office in 1977 to move to Frederick Villa. The book is a 1930 2nd edition printing of Aequanimitas, Dr. William Osler’s addresses to medical students, nurses, and other practitioners of medicine, initially published in 1904.

The inside front cover had two inscriptions. The uppermost was that the book had been given to Gertrude B. Knipp (GBK) of 1821 Park Avenue in Baltimore by Donald and Grace [Belt] in 1932.  Donald Belt was GBK’s nephew, more on that below. The second inscription was dated Dec. 31, 1949, when GBK gave the book to my grandfather: “For Dr. George A. Knipp with much love, GBK.” Squeezed in between those lines, as an afterthought might appear, she added our dad, Dr. Harry Lester Knipp, who was a new medical student at the University of Maryland at the time.