The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-15

! with The microscope and then the or
/ gans which those nerves supplied were
likewise examined. In every instance
the nerves showed congestion and the
organs which they supplied showed
| congestion. inflammation and func-
| tionai disorder.
| History.
| The early history of osteopathy is
| the history of one man. its founder.
Dr. A. T. Still. Its principles We're
| hrst put forth by him in 1874
Br Sttll was a regular practicing
| physician, and during the war an army
surgeon He was born in Virginia. his
rather being a minister. The family
| moved west. and DR. Still experienced.
during his early life, all the perils and
hardshiI'S Of pioneer life.
DIR. still was always of an observing
investigating turn nj lTind. An Incl
lent illustrative of this is told OF his
| 'oyho"d days. After playing hard he
| was often troubled with a headache
One day he lay down under the swing
tree. with the back of his neck slung
in the swing rope. which almost
touched the ground He fell asleep
When he awoke he found that his
headache was gone. They usually
lasted him a good while. and he got
10 thinking Of it. After that when he
had headache he went to the swing
rope. OF course. all he knew about
the procedure then. or for years after
wards, was that his headache stopped
The treatment. however. was rational,
and its results can be explained uhy-
siologically. The pressure of the rope
simply caused the tissue at the back
of the skull to relax and allow the
consestcd blood to flow from the head
In the early 7as DIR. Still had three
children die of spinal meningitis. in
spite of the employment of every
means known to medical science at
that time. This experience seemed to
thoroughly confirm him in the view
that something was lacking in the &C
'cepted mode of treating diseases. He
began devoting almost his whole time
to the study of the human body and
investigating along lines which sug-
gested themselves to him. He dis
sected animals and dug the bones from
old Indian graves to get material for
his study His bag of bones" came
to be joke throughout that part of
Kansas. in which state the Stiil family
then lived.
He used to blindfoid himself and
stand with his back to a table on
which, in pile. We're all of the 200
bones of the human body. each
marked as to where in the body il be-
longed. As the bones were handed to
him, one at a time, he would examine
them with his fingers and call out
where in the skeletal framework of the
body each belonged. He studied the
bones and practiced this until he could,
by the sense of touch, distinguish and
place in its.aproper place every bone
in the body.
In his autobiography he says. in
speaking of his study OF the body of
man, by the use of the knife and the
microscope I have traced for these
many years the wonderful and perfect
work therein found. carefully inspected
every fiber, gland and all parts of the
brain: / have observed the construc-
tion of the1parts and their uses"
Great thoughts do not como spon-
taneausly. but the basic idea may.
after years of study. come in a mo-
ment to the investigator.
In 1874 DR.. Still grasped the piyoted
truth of osteopathy. and that year he
calls the birth year of his science.
He began deroting his whole time
to the development OF his science. and
as he did so he experienced that ridi-
Guile and derision. which has always
been the lot of those whose discoveries
have meant radical departure from the
established ideas
There was a time when nothing was
known of the circulation of the blood
When in the seventeenth century
Harvey discovered and proclaimed how
the blood circulated from the heart
through arteries and veins he was
designated as crazy by his medical
brethren and ostraeised from the med-
cal societies. Such was the treatment
accorded DR.. Stili-
His medical friends sneered at him.
and when he made efforts to explain
to them his discovery they refused to
listen to his crazy talk. He lost prac-
tice. his friends fell away from him.
He was well to do and had aecumu-
lated considerable property i'm Kan
sas- He and his two brothers had do
mated $50 acres of land for the site of
the Baker university At Baldwin. Kan.
When he asked the privilege of ex-
planning osteopathy ut the university
the doors of the structure he had
helped To build were closed against /
him. He gradually lost his property. !
and with his family moved to Mis- !
souri, For 10 or Il years he travelled /
over the state seeing patients upon
whom TO practice. At times he act !
nally wanted for life's necessities. He !
finally located in Kirkssiile. Mo-. and /
there and throughout tn. .
surrounding country. His work was
almost entirely confined to the poor,
and very little of il was paid for. 3.
Every now and then rumors of some
wonderful cures which he had per-
formed would peryade the community.
From among those whom he had cured /
he had loyal friends. but in the main .
the community referred to him a.
that old quaek. Still" and they at
tfihuted what success he had To faith
cure, mesmerism, etc. Doctor" Il
lady said TO him one morning. Now