Why was osteopathic medicine so heavily opposed during its early years?
A5: Much of the early years of osteopathic medicine is marked by staunch opposition by the allopathic (M.D.) community. There are many reasons for this opposition. First and foremost, osteopathy initially rejected the hallmark of allopathic treatment. That is, the use of medications. Allopathic practitioners, believing medication to be the only legitimate form of therapy, found osteopathy to be an attack on their livelihood. Worse yet, these osteopathic practitioners were actually succeeding. Thus, osteopathy became competition that needed to be annihilated. Second, Andrew Taylor Still, M.D. was an early supporter of equal rights for women and minorities. A fascinating example of the dichotomy between the early allopathic and osteopathic perspectives on the acceptance and employment of women can be seen in an event that occurred in 1946. During this year, a large city placed the following advertisement in the New York Herald Tribune: “Doctors Wanted: Women Need Not Apply.” In a respons
