Iron County register., 1900-02-22
Osteopathy In Kentucky.
Medical Mirror.l

Cormack. secretary, has done yeomal
service in fighting all forms of charla
tanism; its most recent victory being
against osteopathy, bastard child o
Missouri which was helped into being
by an imbecile Governor, an asinine
Legislature and weak-minded citizens
The New York Medical Record IN it'
last issue says editorially In praise o.
the recent incident in Kentucky:
Kentucky, in striking contrast tc
| some of the other states, has ever
studied the best interests of the com
munity at large, and of the medical
profession In particular, in stoutly and
persistently discountenaucing the prac'
tice of osteopathy within its borders
| Quite recently a decision has been
rendered in the jefferson circuit cour,
of Kentucky which is probably the
most discriminating and opposite OF
any that have yet been delivered in
regard to osteopathy.
The judgement referred to was the
result of suit brought by a professor
of osteopathy against the State board
of health of Kentucky. to enjoin it
from prosecuting him for practising
osteopathy in the state. By the stat
utes of Kentucky the following regula-
tions must be complied with in order
to practise medicine:
Il. A diploma from a reputable
medical college legally chartered under
the laws of this state. 2. A diploma
from a reputable and legally chartered
medical college of some other state or
country, indorsed as such by the State
board of health. 8. Satisfactory evil
dence from the person claiming the
same that such person was reputably
and honorably engaged in the practice
of medicine in this state prior to Feb
ruary %, 1884. 4. Satisfactory evil
dence from any person who was repu-
tably and honorably engaged in the
practice of medicine in this state prior
to February %, 1884, who has passed
a satisfactory practical examination
before the said board"
The plaintiff in the case against the
Kentucky State board of health did not
possess the first, third or fourth quail
fications named in the above quoted
regulations, but had received diplo-
ma from the American School of Osteo-
pathy at Kirksville, Mo-, legally
chartered school under the laws of that
State. Therefore, as by another Sec
ton of the Kentucky statutes it has
been enacted that there should be no
discrimination against any institution,
school, or system of medicine, the
question to be decided was whether
the American School of Osteopathy at
Kirksville. Mo-, was reputable medi-
cal college. The State board of health
fully Investigated the said school. 1t
sent committee of three of its most
prominent physicians to that institu-
ton, who after an exhaustive exami-
nation of its equipment and facilities
for teaching, and after satisfying them
selves as to whether its professors
were competent or incompetent educa-
tors, came to the conclusion that the
American School of Osteopathy at
Kirksville was not reputable medical
college, and that consequently the
diploma from it held by the plaintiff
was entitled to no respect. That this
decision was justified by the facts of
the case was undoubtedly proved alb
solutely. OF the fifteen professors of
the faculty only three were possessed
of degree in medicine, while the ex-
planation Of osteopathy given in the
catalogue of the institution is a farrago
of the greatest conceivable nonsense.
The plaintiff had the unblushiug as
surance to testify that osteopathy cures
all diseases except cancer, syphilis,
and consumption; that he treats
Bright's disease by manipulation. and
diabetes by manipulation stimulating
the renic splanchnic; that he treats
diptheria by manipulation, stimulating
the vasomotor centre in the back of the
neck, and by putting the finger down
the throat of the patient, and manip-
ulating the soft palate or fauces; that
he treats scarlet fever, lockjaw, milk
leg, varicose veins, dropsy, retention
of urine, fstula in ano. anal fssure,
acute rheumatism, hip-joint disease,
simple benignant and malignant tu-
mors, chronic syphilis, eczema, shing-
les, carbuncles, bone felons, bruises,
puerperal convulsions, flooding after
child birth, laceration of the cornea OF
the eye. all by manipulationi but he
refused to state how or in what man.
ner this manipulation Is applied.
Many of the foremost physicians of
Kentucky gave evidence for the defence
among whom was DIR. j. M. Mathews,
the president of the American Medical
Association who testified that he un-
derstood the theory and practice of
and that osteopathy is not