The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-07-17
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Osteopathy is a scientific method of
treating disease, which receives no
assistance from drugs and depends for
its efficacy on manipulation designed
to restore abnormalities of structure
to their normal position.
Osteopaths maintain, and the prin-
ciple which lies at the foundation of
their science asserts that function is
dependent on structure. In other words,
if structure is in any particular out of
the normal, the function of some or
gan must suffer as an inevitable re-
suit.
The osteopath, then, is an educated
mechanic of the human body, and his
duty is to find out what is the struc-
tural displacement which is causing
the machine to run stiffly and to func-
ton poorly.
It is here that we see the essential
difference in standpoint between the
osteopathic and medical practitioner.
TIL latter notes that an organ is func-
tioning abnormally and hopes either
by stimulating it. or in some way re
placing the normal secretion to force
the organ again to take on its function.
The success that attends this mode of
procedure we leave to our readers to
fill in from their own observation and
knowledge.
The osteopath, on the other hand
banks his whole philosophy on perhaps
the most comprehensive law of the
natural world. the law that nothing,
no matter how small or insignificant,
can occur as an effect from some
cause.
He looks. therefore, not at the ab-
normally functioning organ, although,
of course. symptomatology is impor-
what is apparent, and continually asks
what is the cause of this abnormal
functioning
In other words, the osteopath be-
lieves that normal functioning is in
evitable, that it must take place if
there is no structural abnormality pre-
venting it from doing so.
No one puts this more forcibly than
DR.. Still himself, the discoverer of the
new science, when he says:
"If every part of the machine is ad-
justed and in perfect harmony, health
will hold dominion over the human
organism by laws, as natural and i'm
mutable as the laws of gravitation"
1t is difficult at first to grasp the
full significance of this thought. for
its universal acceptance which he
knew would only be a matter of time,
must involve a radical and far-reach-
ing change in the whole trend of
JHousHt Ol Ine WOTlu.
How wildly DR.. Still realized this
can be cleaned from the fact that dur
ing the late eighties we find him con-
tinually enforcing the statement that
the method Of healing which he had
organized upon that principle was
scientific, that II was absolute, being
founded on Gods unvarying laws, so
the results which he obtained could
be obtained by others, II they were
taught the methods which he employed.
But one result could obtain from the
constant reiteration Of such a thought
by such a man, namely the establish
ment of a school in which an attempt
might be made to put his plans into
practical application. II was in 1892
that such a school was started, with,
we believe IS students, That school
was the American School Of Oste-
opathy at Kiksville, Mo-, which at the
present writing has graduated over
5000 practitioners, has q student en-
rollment OF 625 and presents a course
Of study which is the equal Of almost
any medical college in the country.
This phenomenal growth has no
parallel in the whole annals Of medi.