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Osteopathy

Osteopathy today is a body of medicine that originally strictly used
manipulative techniques for correcting somatic abnormalities thought to
cause disease and inhibit recovery. However, over the past century,
osteopathy has embraced the full spectrum of medicine, including the use of
prescription drugs and surgery as well as manipulative techniques.

History

The original osteopathic movement, today viewed by scientists as
pseudoscience, was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, who was born in 1828 in
Virginia. Unhappy with the ways in which his peers prescribed medicines in
excess, Still sought more holistic approaches. Observing that the human body
had much in common with the machines he worked on earlier in life, Still
approached the study of the human body as one would approach the study of a
machine. He believed that by shaking a person, one could cure disease. He
rejected the idea that germs cause disease.

Over time he and his follower developed a series of specialized physical
treatments, for which he coined the name 'Osteopathy.' Dr. Still founded the
American School of Osteopathy (now the Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine) in Kirksville, Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy, on May
10, 1892.

In the late 1800s Still believed that diseases were caused when bones moved
out of place, and disrupted the flow of blood, or the flow of nervous
impulses; he therefore concluded that one could cure diseases by
manipulating bones to restore the supposedly interrupted flow. His critics
point out that he never ran any controlled experiments to test his
hypothesis. He wrote in his autobiography that he could "shake a child and
stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days
by a wring of its neck." (Andrew Taylor Still, Autobiography, New York,
1972, Arno Press)

"Still was antagonistic toward the drug practices of his day and regarded
surgery as a last resort. Rejected as a cultist by organized medicine, he
founded the first osteopathic medical school in Kirksville, Missouri, in
1892. As medical science developed, osteopathy gradually incorporated all
its theories and practices. Today, except for additional emphasis on
musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, the scope of osteopathy is
identical to that of medicine. The percentage of practitioners who use
osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and the extent to which they use it
have been falling steadily."

Today, osteopathy is taught at 19 different medical schools in the United States.

Doctors of Osteopathy today

Today, an osteopath is sometimes described as a mix of an M.D. and a
chiropractor. A doctor of osteopathy will follow his or her name with the
initials D.O., in much the same way as a Medical Doctor follows his or her
name with the initials M.D. (D.O.'s are termed osteopaths, but M.D.'s are
not properly termed allopaths, which is a derisive term coined by
Hahnemann).

Osteopathy is a medical body that includes physicians practicing in all
fields of medicine, and osteopaths are fully-licensed physicians in all
fifty states of the United States.

Osteopathy vs. Chiropractic vs. Mainstream Medicine

The osteopathic movement and chiropractic movements both started out in the
midwest in the 1890s and had similar philosophies; however, osteopathy came
to adopt the use of medicine and surgery, whereas chiropractors continue to
strictly use manipulative techniques. In the 1960s in California, the
differences between osteopathy and maintstream medicine blurred enough that
the California Medical Association and the California Osteopathic
Association merged, and D.O.s were granted an M.D. degree in exchange for
paying $65 and attending a short seminar. The College of Osteopathic
Physicians and Surgeons became the University of California College of
Medicine, Irvine.

Osteopathic Schools

   * Directory of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in the United States
   * Links to Osteopathic Colleges
   * Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center
   * Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of
     Technology
   * Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of
     Osteopathic Medicine
   * Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * The University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of
     Osteopathic Medicine
   * University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of
     Osteopathic Medicine
   * Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
   * Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
     of the Pacific

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