How did osteopathic medicine get started in the US?
Dr. Binkerd (DB): Dr. Andrew Taylor Still is considered the father of osteopathic medicine as well as the founder of the first college of osteopathic medicine. Born in Virginia on 1828, he decided at an early age to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. He later served in the Civil War as a surgeon in the Union Army, but it was not until the early 1870s that Dr. Still separated himself from his MD counterparts. Believing that medicine should offer the patient more, Dr. Still supported a philosophy of medicine different from the practice of his day and in its place advocated the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment. Dr. Still developed a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. This philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body’s ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly, and keeping fit.
