| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Contents | ||
| Osteopathy | |
| This article is part of the branches of CAM series. | |
| CAM Classifications | |
| NCCAM: | Alternative Medical System |
| Modality: | Professionalized |
| Culture: | Western |
The osteopathic movement and chiropractic movements both started out in the United States 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. The original osteopathic movement, viewed today by scientists as pseudoscience, was founded by Dr. 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 followers 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 KirksvilleKirksville is a city located in Adair County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,988. It is the county seat of Adair County 6. Geography Kirksville is located at 40°11'37" North, 92°34'46" West (40. 193520, -92. Accordi, MissouriMissouri named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning "canoe", is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. The state's nickname is the State the U. Post Office abbreviation for Missouri is MO and the state public, for the teaching of osteopathy, on May 10, 1892. Kirksville was one of few places where he wasn't figuratively "chased out of town" by other doctors. While the state of Missouri was willing to grant him a charter for the awarding of the M.D. degree, he remained unhappy with the practices of his peers and chose instead to grant his own D.O. degree.
In the late 1800sEvents and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars ( 1803 1815). Semaphore is adopted by navies. United Kingdom founded in 1801 World Leaders Emperor Napoleon I ( France) Emperor Francis II ( Holy Roman Empire) Pope Pius VII Emperor Alexander I ( Russia) 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
Still questioned the drug practices of his day and regarded surgery as a last resort. As medical science developed, osteopathy gradually incorporated all its theories and practices:
In the 1960s in California, perceived differences between osteopathy and conventional 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, IrvineThe University of California, Irvine is a public, coeducational university situated in suburban Irvine, California. It is one of ten University of California campuses and is commonly known as UCI or UC Irvine . Academics Three researchers from UCI's facul College of Medicine. However, the decision proved quite controversial, and in 1974 the California State Supreme Court ruled that licensing of DOs in that state must be resumed.
Osteopathy is currently taught at 23 different schools in the United States.