The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-15
MISSOULA MAN APPEARS BE-
FORE STATE MEETING OF
OF osTEoPATHs.
IS PRINCIPAL FEAT URt
Important Part of Program of First
Session at Bozeman Is the Discus
sion of "Ostsopathy: Its Philosophy,
History, Scope and Relation to
Other Methods of Healing"

! Special to The Daily Missoultan.
Bozeman. Mont, Sept 1.-THE prin-
/ cipal feature of the first day Of the
! ninth annual meeting of the Montana
/ Osteopathic association was an ad-
dress by DIR. Asa Willard of Missoula.
DIR. Wizards address was heard by
many, As his part of the program was
public. He dealt ON "Osteopathy: Its
Philosophy, History. Scope and Rela-
tion to Other Methods of Healing"
The convention of osteopaths ends to-
morrow. DR. Willard spoke as fol-
lows:
The Name.
Let us note the word itself. 1t
comes from two Greek words. ostca.
meaning bone, and pathos, mrai'il'.s 20
suffer, hence etomoiogically osteopathy
equals bone suffering. Taking this
literal translation rs a definition some
have had the idea that an osteopath
simply treated bone disease. While
this conception Is possible one could
hardly expect to get much of an un-
derstanding of IA science through the
mere literal translation of the word
which stands for il.
DR. Still discovered among other
things that disease and suffering fire.
quently resulted from slight displace-
ments of bones. especially those of the
spine. In correcting these. in relaxing
contracted muscles, and stretching
thickened iigaments the bones as they
formed the body framework with the
tendon's muscles. etc, attached to
them. furnished convenient levers and
fulcrums for his manipuiations. He
named his science osteopathy. having
in mind the part the bones thus played
in his relief of suffering.
Definition.
As basis for discussion, we may
say that osteopathy is a method of
treating bodily ills i'm which the heal
ing agents used are those prepared
by and existing within the body itself,
and i'm which the proper distribution
of these agents. blood. lymph. etc. Is
accomplished by scientific external
manipulations based upon n thorough
knowledge of anatomy.
Philosophy.
The theory of osteopathy is simply
that man is IA perfect vital machine
which. when all it's various parts are
In harmonious relation with each
other. will run without friction from
infancy TO old age. Man VIII he
healthy. But in some of the multi
tudinous parts of this machine, bones.
ligaments. muscles, cartilages. get out
of their proper relation with other
ts Aa III,
smoothly. Its mechanism viii be dis
ordered. Man will be diseased.
The osteopath contends that this Vi
tai mechanism. the human body, If
kept accurately adjusted and clean viii
manufacture within itself from pure
air. pure food and pure water. all the
ingredients necessary to keep its parts
in good running condition. Has he
reason for his contention?
If We study the plants and animals
n little We cannot but observe that
nature has provided within the organ
ism of each arrangement for the pro-
duction and distribution of such ele-
ments as will best keep it in health.
Take a knife and cut stalk of corn
or sugar cane almost i'm two, then
bind bandase firmly about the stalk
SO that the edges of the cut stay ap-
proximated in spite of the swaying of
the plant by the wind. Return in two
or three days. and you will find the
edges of the cut firmly grown together
and in few more days you cannot
even find a scar.
Take an AK and cut gashes in the
bark of tree: return i'm a few years
will S,13 . he alYrar h
liberated by healthy bark. which has
been thrown out from the sides of the
wound.
A few years ago ]. saw hunter
bring i'm a deer. along the back and
hip of one side of the animal We're
deep burrows. and in one place. in the
muscles Of the hip. there was a hole
from which a large piece of flesh had
been torn. These tears had been made
at some other season by the claws
and teeth of some wild animal. from
whose clutches the deer had in some
manner been rescued. The laeerated
flesh had healed and only scars
marked the place of the wounds.
Nature in each instance had caused
healing to occur through agencies pro-
yided within the structure itself.
Is man an exception 10 such provi-
sion for the maintenance of his health
and his recovery from accidents and
disease? Suppose his leg is broken.
He cannot walk. What is To be dones
Put drug in his stomach that ii may
he absorbed into his blood and carried
all through his system in the hope
that some infinitesimal part of it