Osteopathy death day by Andrew Taylor Still

Founder of osteopathy

Osteopathy: Anniversary of the death of Andrew Taylor Still

Today, 93 years ago, on December 12, 1917, the founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still died. Time to take advantage of this moment, review the roots of osteopathy, and take a look at the current situation of osteopathy.

Roots of osteopathy
Andrew Taylor Still was born in 1828 as the son of Abram and Martha Still. His father was a Methodist very active and dedicated preacher, who has always spoken openly against slavery. On 22 June 1874, Taylor had, according to his own statements, presumably finally motivated for personal fate, the inspiration to justify the concept of osteopathy. He wanted the self-healing powers for him without medication, only through the power of his therapeutic hands „The pharmacy of God“- activate in the patient. In 1897, he finally opened the world's first in Kirksville, Missouri, USA „American School of Osteopathy“ (ASO).

Since then, osteopathy has not stopped, but has steadily developed and spread in almost all industrialized countries of the earth. Many osteopaths have developed new concepts and enriched osteopathy. For example, the osteopaths Peter Wührl, Jerome Helsmoortel and Thomas Hirth the treatment and view of the internal organs.

Osteopathy nowadays
If one observes the fields of activity of osteopathy in recent years and looks at the results of surveys among osteopaths, such as by the Canadian osteopath Jane Stark DOMP, osteopathy has become largely a mere treatment of the musculoskeletal system. Ailments such as headache on the back of the head, back pain, pain when lifting arms or knee pain are among the main reasons why people go to an osteopathic practice.

It is thanks to Christian Hartmann of the Jolandos publishing house in Pähl that old osteopathy books are being reissued in this very osteopathic publishing house. Thus, osteopaths of the younger semester get an idea of ​​how the osteopaths approached the patients and their complaints at the beginning of the last century.
A good example is the book „Applied anatomy“ by Marion Edward Clark, which the Jolandos Verlag has translated into German. The author Clark graduated from Still in 1899 as the best student at the American School of Osteopathy and in 1906 published this book as one of two he wrote. Clark describes every single vertebra, every rib, every organ and also certain states such as pregnancy or bodily functions in individual chapters. When reading it, it becomes clear what osteopaths treated at the time: Clark describes liver colic, fibroid tumors, hyperthyroidism and other diseases related to osteopathic treatments and observations.

When Andrew Taylor Still died in 1917, he had not been able to speak properly for three years because a stroke had struck him in 1914. Still in the years before, Still, according to Carol Trowbridge's biography of him, had seen Osteopathy lost students' stutters on monetary grounds or for broader social acceptance of the loyalty of basic beliefs. It remains to be hoped that the nature of osteopathy, which established Still and the last surviving message of Stills to osteopathy will be kept alive:“Keep it pure.“ (tf, 12.12.2010)

Literature:
„Andrew Taylor Still 1828-1917- A biography of the discoverer of osteopathy“; Carol Trowbridge; Jolandos publishing house
„Applied anatomy“; Marion Edward Clark; Jolandos publishing house