It Started Over 125 Years Ago With One Man Who Thought We Should Do Things A Little Differently......
Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., began osteopathic medicine in
1874 after a decade of study . He was a
traditionally trained physician who was dissatisfied with many of the medical
treatments of his time, and this frustration peaked for him in 1864 after losing family
members to spinal meningitis. Dr. Still believed that body function was directly
related to body structure and that many conditions could be treated with
hands-on manipulative medicine therapy. He also believed in the body’s ability
to heal itself and that medicine should take a more "holistic" approach by
looking at how all the systems interrelate to make up the whole individual.
Treatment should then be directed at the cause of the problem and not the
symptom it produces. Holistic medicine has become very trendy and accepted
today, but in the late 1800’s it was very radical thinking. Medical treatments
at that time included prescribing compounds such as mercury (highly toxic) and
performing surgery without anesthesia or sterile technique. Dr. Still's
intention was not to create a separate profession but to incorporate his
findings and ideas into the current medical practice of his day. One of
the first places he attempted to present his findings was Baker University, but
he was unable to get a hearing. Like most
all progressive thinkers, he was ostracized for his departure from the
"drugs and surgery" approach to medicine. In spite of this he
decided to found a system of medicine more in line with his own philosophy.
In 1892 he opened the first school, the American School of Osteopathy, in a little town in Missouri called Kirksville.
Osteopathic Medicine Today
Medicine has come a long way in the last 125 years, and so have osteopathic physicians. Although A.T. Still was an M.D., all osteopathic physicians since him have been granted the degree D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). All physicians in the United States (M.D. or D.O.) attend four-year colleges of medicine and only M.D.s and D.O.s have full licensure to prescribe drugs and perform surgery. The curriculum of modern M.D. and D.O. schools are nearly identical, except for the philosophy of osteopathy (see the osteopathic concept for more details) and manipulative medicine training. It is true that many osteopathic physicians don't do osteopathic manipulation, but many don't do brain surgery either. Physicians good at manipulative medicine must devote a significant amount of training time to learn it, and some even go on to complete fellowships or residencies in osteopathic manipulation. Naturally, not everyone wishes to practice this type of medicine but I really don't think the profession is in danger because "all D.O.s don't do manipulation" as some might have you believe.
The majority of osteopathic physicians today are in primary care specialties (such as family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics) but they can specialize in any field of medicine or surgery. As holistic medicine becomes more and more popular, it seems that many critics think osteopathic physicians are suddenly "losing their identity". While I can't speak for the rest of my profession, as a physician who believes in the holistic approach to patient care let me say WELCOME TO THE PARTY! You can come on in, the water is fine...