Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1905-03-03
WHAT IS ITl
Few Facts Gathered About Osteopathy
and Its Use.

and Its Use.
In response TO several inquiries as 10
what Ostheopathy is, we have taken the
pains TO gather little data on the sub
iect and publish il for the beLefit OF our
readers. Ostheopathy is not very new
science by any means, but many are I'M
familiar with the subject, and we pre-
sent il here for you TO form your own
conclusions
The science of Osteopathy was given
10 the world in 1868, by DIR. A. j. Still,
who for years previous 10 this had in
vestigated the cause of disease and the
principles underlying its cure.
DR. Still was formerly medical piy-
stefan and surgeon i'll the u. ;. Army
during the War of the Rebellion. sui
strong and hearty, with mind intensely
keen and active, DIR. Still at the age OF
76 is President of the American School
of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Mo, and
his son DR.. G. f. Still is Vice President.
The A. :. .. was founded in 1882 and
eight recognized colleges of osteopathy
have been founded since. One year ago,
the Des Moines College was brought un-
der the management of the y. :. .. ana
the enrolment of the combined instltu-
ton numbered 900, it being second III
point of numbers only 10 Rush Medical
College of Chicago, of all the schools III
the L. 5. teaching systems OF healing.
Rush Medical last year had an enroll
ment of 913.
II NAV astonish those who have only
recently heard of osteopatha TO note the
following figures. Last year the total
college enrolment of allopaths was 3d.
662: of osteopaths was lis; of homeo-
pates was .l05; making osteopaths IN
point of numbers, second only 10 the old
school physicians.
And the science of osteOpathy has now
in the field fifteen years after the
founding of the first school, 5000 regu-
lar practitioners; the most OF whom are
in the L. S, while few pioneers repre-
sent their fellow-workers in England,
Ireland, Japan, China, Hawaiian Islands,
and New Zealand.
As TO legal status, in thirty-one states
the law has now recognized Osteopathy
as an independent system OF heallng,
and legislation is at present pending III
several states.
As for the science itself, DR. Still adj
vanced as the basic principle of Osteo-
pathy, this-a perfectly adjusted body is
necessary 10 health and TO the proper
functioning of any organ or group of or
gans: and that any structural abnormal
itv. bV interfering with the nerves con-
trolling any organ, or the free circulation
of blood 10 that organ or part Will cause
disease So, his method of treating dis
ease consists of adjustment and replac-
ment of anatomical structures, not mas
sage as many suppose; and the essence
of this system of therapeutics Is this
remove the cause. and nature will do the
rest.
Osteopaths regard the human body as
an extremely intricate and complicated
machine, all the parts of which must be
kept in proper relation TO each other and
the equilibrium of the whole maintained
in order that the machine shall do the
work for which il was intended. In
other words, that the body be kept III
good health and every organ perform
its proper functions. and as with "a ma
chine, if any part of the mechanism
"gets out Of order this human machine
will not work properly An illustration
which makes clear these osteopathlc
points is this-if your watch gains time,
YOU do not content yourself with turn
ing the minute hand back five or ten
minutes each dav, as the case may be.
but you take the watch TO matchmaker
who has studied its structure, and he
proceeds 10 find out what Is wrong with
the structure and adjusts it, leaving the
minute hand TO take care of itself. Just
so it is with the human body, says the
osteopath, although of course 1t is a
much more complicated machine. But
the principle remains the same-some-
thing gets out OF order with the struc-
ture of the body and that abnormality
is manifested by some organ acting i'm
properly, just a. the minute hand gained
time; and the way TO right that Is TO
adjust the abnormal structure.
These few facts must of necessity be
very meagre statements of osteopathic
principles, il being within the premise
of this article 10 touch only most briefly
upon the foundations of this system of
healing.