The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-01-08
ORIGIN OF
0STEOPATHY
The Founder Writes as to His
Life to Ladies Home Journal
ARTICLE FROM DR.. A. 7. STILL
After Curing Himself Turns to Help
Others. Wonderful Growth of
this Great Discovery.

From The Ladies Home journal for
January-l909.
EDITORS Notion the theory that
the road which leads to discovery is
always interesting. Doctor Still was
asked by the Editor of The Ladies'
Home Journal to tell the circum-
stances which led to his discovery of
the comparatively new and growing
medical school called "Osteopathy -
Doctor Still. at the age of seventy
nine. lives at Kirksville. Missouri.
which may be said to be the seat of
the new school which aims to treat
human ills without medicine. as it is
there that the chief institution of
leaning of the new medical science,
The American School of Osteopathy.
is located
My first awakening to the prin-
ciples which today have eliminated
in the science called "Osteopathy"
was made when was about ten years
old. was boy on my fathers farm
in Macon county. Missouri. was
subject to sick headaches. and while
suffering from one of these attacks
one day was instinctively led to
make swing OF my fathers plowline
between two trees. My head hurt
too much to make swinging comfort
able. let the line down to within
eight or ten inches of the ground.
threw the end of a blanket on it, and
lay down on the ground. using the
lines for swinging pillow. To my
surprise l soon began to feel easier.
and went to sleep. In little while
l got up with headache and fever
gone. This discovery interested me.
and after that. whenever | felt my
headache spells coming on. would
swing my neck" as called it.
The next incident which gave me
cause for thought occurred when l
contracted dysentery. or fiux. with
copious discharges mixed with blood.
There were chilly sensations. high
fever. backache and cold abdomen.
1t seemed to me my back WOULD
break. the misery was so great. A
log was lying in my fathers yard.
In the effort to get comfort | threw
myself across it on the small of my
back and made few twisting motions.
which probably restored the misplaced
bones to their normal position. for
soon the pain began to leave. my alb
~domen began to get warm. the chilly
sensation disappeared. and that was
the last of the fux.
Mill Machinery Aroused My Interest In
Human Machinery
My father. as pioneer, was far
mer. mill owner. minister and a
doctor. studied and .practiced med
icine with him.
Pioneer life on a Western farm in
these days was one in which adj the
inventive powers one might possess
were given ample chance to show
forth. Nearly all the farm machinery
had to be made by hand and on the
farm. There was very little to buy
and less money to buy it with. My
father had a grist and saw mill run
by water, in the working of which l
became very much interested. Later,
/ bought an interest in steam saw
mill and took course OF instruction
in milling machinery for practical
purposes.
AS studied this mill machinery
got my first clear idea of the machin-
cry of the human being. My mind
invariably associated and compare d
the machinery of the mill with the
machinery of the human being: with
the drive wheels. pinions. cups. arms
and shafts of the human with their
forces and supplies. framework attach
ment by ligament and muscle. the
nerve and blood supply. How" and
where the motor nerves receive
their power and motion. how the SEN
sorry and nutrient nerves act in their
functions. their source of supply, their
work done in health. in the parts OBJ
structed, parts and principles through
which they passed to perform the
duties of life all this study in human
mechanics awoke with new vigor with
in me. believed that something
abnormal could be found which. by