Origins of Osteopathy – Who Started it All

Osteopathy is a form of alternative medicine that many people look to in order to help with certain ailments. There are many principles that make up this form of medicine but how did it all come about? Who was the first person to make this form of healing part of the main stream? There is a lot to know about the history of this therapy.

The history of Osteopathy

Osteopathy was founded by Doctor Andrew Taylor Still in the late 1880’s. Dr Still was a revolutionary of his time when it came to theories on health. His progressive thought was what would later become one of the main principles of this kind of medicine. Dr Still believed that the systems in the body were all related and in order to be completely healthy all the systems must be working correctly. During his time as a practicing physician Dr Still started to research and develop his theory. He discovered that by using his hands he could help his patients with certain ailments. If properly stimulated, he found that the musculo-skeletal system was able to restore health. He was able to correct problems in the body’s structure with these manual techniques and this increased the body’s ability to function and heal itself. Dr Still looking into this kind of healing as back then there were no antibiotics and other drugs that could help people.

Influential people in osteopathy

While Dr Still is the founder of osteopathy there are other people who have made a contribution to this field. While none of them can compare to the founder they have all had some impact of the field in some way. Many of the people who had some influence on this field studied under Dr Still at some point. One of these influential people is Dr Martin Littlejohn. Dr Littlejohn was a student of Dr Still and was the person who started the British School of Osteopathy in 1921. Another influential name in this field is William Smith who helped Dr Still open the first Osteopathic medical school. William Smith was an Edinburgh medical school graduate who worked with Dr Still to train others in this therapy.

The start of Osteopathy training

Osteopathy training is something that everyone who wants to help people with this medicine has to do. The question is when did this kind of training begin? Up until 1892 people from far and wide would to Kirksville where Dr Still was practicing. In 1892 Dr Still along with William Smith opened the first medical school where Osteopathy training was done. By 1897 the school was at a level where the standards of training allowed state legislation to recognize osteopaths as independent medical practitioners. From that point on more schools where opened and by the end of the century there were over 10 schools over the states.

Knowing a bit about the history of Osteopathy is a good way to know more about the practice. Knowing what theory Dr Still had when founding this therapy lets you know what these professionals will be doing to you to help you.

This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova, SEO Marketing consultant of 3r.ie, on behalf of National Training Centre – providing Osteopathy Ireland, Pilates Courses, Sports Massage Courses, Personal Trainer Certification

This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova, SEO consultant of http://www.3r.ie, on behalf of National Training Centre – http://www.ntc.ie – providing Fitness Courses Dublin, Pilates Courses, Sports Massage Courses and Personal Trainer Certification.

Author Bio: This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova, SEO Marketing consultant of 3r.ie, on behalf of National Training Centre – providing Osteopathy Ireland, Pilates Courses, Sports Massage Courses, Personal Trainer Certification

Category: Education
Keywords: osteopathy, osteopathy courses, osteopathy training, osteopathy course, osteopathy education

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