History

We need to go back to the second part of the 19 th century to find the origins of Osteopathy. From that period on, knowledge has increased considerably in the fields of diagnosis and therapeutics. Modern medical research has benefited from new data and techniques brought about by the rapid progress and development of other sciences.

During this period rich in discoveries but still lacking effective therapies, Andrew Taylor Still practised medicine.

Doctor A. T. Still was born in Virginia in 1828. His father, a farmer, a minister and a physician, familiarized him very early with religion, nature and medicine.

In 1837, his family settled in Missouri . He was 9 years old and his passion for animals and their anatomy led him to assist his father in the practice of medicine. In this region of mine lands, medicine was based on plants, manipulations and minor surgery . In this context of joint manipulations performed by bone-setters, the young Still developed the themes which would later on influence his whole life.

In 1849, at 21 years old, he settled in the Macon County, Missouri. He worked as a farmer, as a minister and most of all as a physician.

At that time, most of the physicians were trained through apprenticeship by a colleague and completed their training with some readings training. Still's training was empirical was empirical, based on practical experience with his father, on personal readings and on observations.

Around 1860, He attended a complete training at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Kansas City , Missouri .

Because he was against slavery, he became a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He practised war surgery in very rudimentary conditions.

In 1864, he was terribly affected by the loss of three of his children during an epidemic of spinal meningitis . Thoroughly convinced that the therapy of his day was often ineffective and even often dangerous, Still oriented his medical practice towards what would 10 years later give birth to osteopathy.

He revived the ancient tradition of Hippocratic medicine which gave priority to a patient as a whole and to his/her environment.

Already about 2400 years ago, Hippocrates gave great importance to the spine and its pathology. His writings unquestionably reveal his practice of manipulations which were obviously rooted in the Egyptian tradition. The Hippocratic medicine would besides remain the foundation of all manipulative therapies for centuries.

Still thoroughly developed his skills of palpation . Thanks to his training in surgery and the many years he spent dissecting animals, he had a very accurate knowledge of anatomy.

At the time, great importance was given to hygiene and nutrition. A physician had to keep people physically fit in order to avoid treating them once the disease broke out - a concept that we also find in Chinese medicine.

In June 1874, Doctor Andrew Taylor Still officially announced the results of his research to his colleagues. He gave the name "Osteopathy" to his diagnostic and therapeutic system, stemming from the Greek "osteon" (musculoskeletal system) and "pathos" (disease).

In 1892, he received the authorization to found the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville , Missouri . The school became a health care centre as well as a centre for osteopathic training, the first of the genre. In 1895, he acquired radiographic equipment - a rich discovery from the end of this century.

After the First World War, many students registered in the schools of Osteopathy because the schools of Medicine were overcrowded . This situation led to an increased quality of their teaching.

Because of pressures from the inside as well as from the outside, the school courses were based on those of the schools of Medicine. The same rights as the doctors in Medicine were also recognised to osteopaths. As a result, most of the schools and thus most of the osteopaths would turn to conventional medicine.

The prescription of drugs implied that manipulative therapies were gradually neglected. In order to be effective, these therapies required a good physical condition and a continuous practice.

A small part of the American osteopathic movement remained true to Still's ideas and carried out important research, to give them the necessary experimental bases and physiological explanations.