Osteopathy

a school of medical practice. It was founded in 1875 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, a physician of the allopath or "old school" of medicine. The first school of instruction was established at Kirksville, Missouri, in 1895. Other institutions have been established at Minneapolis, Des Moines, Boston, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. There are now between 3,000 and 4,000 practitioners. The first success of Dr. Still came in the management of dislocated bones. The osteopaths teach that the use of drugs, whether in large or homeopathic doses, is contrary to nature and may be permitted only as a last resort. Rubbing, foments, poultices, baths, and all the customary non-chemical aids are permissible when required. Even the surgeon's knife may be necessary; but the secret of osteopathy is manipulation of the mechanism of the body. The movement of an organ generates heat; heat, chemical action and electricity. The latter and nerve action are interchangeable. Put in a practical way, the osteopath seeks first to locate the injury or affection. He then proceeds to stimulate or soothe, as may be needed, the center from which the nerves lead to the seat of the trouble. A congested lung, for instance, is relieved by stimulating the nerves found by the expert at a particular spot near the backbone. By skillful manipulation he influences the nerves to call into extra activity the organism charged with removing and carrying away the obstructive matter, that which clogs the lung. A headache and many other ailments are reached in the same way, only through a different set of nerves. The osteopath makes no claim to a magnetic touch, but merely to a scientific knowledge of anatomy and disease. See Medicine