During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, osteopathic information was circulated by way of pamphlets and postcards. Several osteopathic historical pamphlets and postcards from the D'Angelo Library collection have been researched and digitized in order to preserve these osteopathic artifacts and highlight their historical significance for the current profession.
Information Dissemination/methods , Libraries, Medical/organization & administration , Osteopathic Medicine/history , Pamphlets , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Kansas , Postcards as Topic
Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, coined the original idea of lesion based on the obstruction of flow of body fluids, but primarily referring to bony structures and more precisely to the spine. Throughout the 20th century, this idea was shaped and developed into the concept of somatic dysfunction, a term that is familiar to both US-trained osteopathic physicians and foreign-trained osteopaths and has been an essential cornerstone of osteopathic practice and teaching. The present historical narrative review offers an overview of the evolution of Still's original lesion concept, major evidence-based models of somatic dysfunction that attempt to explain the clinical findings, and a critique of the concept.
Manipulation, Osteopathic/history , Osteopathic Medicine/history , Spine/physiopathology , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Joint Dislocations , Spine/pathology , Terminology as Topic
Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, founded the first school of osteopathy, the American School of Osteopathy (ASO), in 1892. Two graduates from the second class of the ASO, Elmer and Helen Barber, opened the "second school of osteopathy," the National School of Osteopathy (NSO), in 1895. The guiding principles of the NSO were vastly different than those of the ASO, and Still saw the Barbers as a threat to his founding osteopathic philosophy and their school as a "diploma mill." In the present article, the author uses primary historical documents to detail the battle between the ASO and the NSO and thus provides a snapshot of the early fight to gain respect within the medical community.
Osteopathic Medicine/education , Osteopathic Medicine/history , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Jurisprudence , Schools, Medical/history , United States
This article is the first installment in a series of 6 articles on the history of and controversies related to the DO degree. Four questions about the origins of osteopathy and the initial use of the DO designation will be addressed in this particular article. First, did Andrew Taylor Still earn an MD diploma?--he being invariably described as an MD in current osteopathic periodical literature. Second, what was the importance of "magnetic healing" in the evolution of Still's thought? Third, how did the principles and practice of "bonesetting" complete his new system? Finally, when did he originate the term osteopathy and first devise and employ the DO designation? Future articles will examine episodically the history of the DO degree from Still's establishment of the American School of Osteopathy in 1892 up through to the present debate over its significance and value.
Osteopathic Medicine/history , Terminology as Topic , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Osteopathic Medicine/education
Osteopathic medicine is a rapidly growing discipline in health care that has much to offer the wider biomedical community. A distinction of the osteopathic medical profession is the importance of an overall guiding philosophy. Despite the osteopathic medical profession's success, there remains concern about the profession's ability to maintain its unique identity. Among many factors that have contributed to the profession's success, certain axioms from its earliest days are pertinent to the profession's identity. Maintaining a knowledge and appreciation of osteopathic axioms can play an important role in safeguarding the profession's identity. These axioms encapsulate osteopathic philosophy and, moreover, are universally useful for patient care. As osteopathic geriatricians, the authors explore the value and meaning of these axioms for anyone who treats patients, but especially for the care of the elderly. The authors also propose a new axiom, derived from the experience of 2 of the authors: "First try to blame it on the medications."
Geriatrics , Osteopathic Medicine , Physician-Patient Relations , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Aged , Cultural Evolution , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Osteopathic Medicine/history , Philosophy, Medical/history , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/history
More than 100 years ago A.T. Still MD founded osteopathic medicine, and specifically described fascia as a covering, with common origins of layers of the fascial system despite diverse names for individual parts. Fascia assists gliding and fluid flow and is highly innervated. Fascia is intimately involved with respiration and with nourishment of all cells of the body, including those of disease and cancer. This paper reviews information presented at the first three International Fascia Research Congresses in 2007, 2009 and 2012 from the perspective of Dr Still, that fascia is vital for organism's growth and support, and it is where disease is sown.
Fascia/anatomy & histology , Osteopathic Medicine/history , Biomedical Research , Fascia/blood supply , Fascia/innervation , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Manipulation, Osteopathic , Trigger Points , United States
