Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-10-07
osTEoPATHlc ANNIVERSARY
Mayor Of klrksville and Son Of the
Founder Tells How His Father
Made the piscoxarx Forty

Mayor Of klrksvllle and Son Of the
Founder Tells How His Father
Made the Discovery Forty
Years Ago.
BY DR.. Charles Still, Mayor of Kinks.
vile, Mo-, and son of the Discoverer
Of Osteopathy.
published by request.)
This is the fortieth anniversary of
osteopathy and will be celebrated the
first week in August by the eighteenth
international convention when 5000
osteopaths will assemble in Philade,-
phia for the greatest meeting we have
ever held.
That doesn't mean that it was forty
years since father made the declara-
ton that man is a machine, and if
all it's component parts are working
in harmony, then there should be no
such thing as disease" He made this
declaration out at Eudora, Kansas, at
the home of his brother, James Still,
minister and physician of the old
school, being one Of the early grad
yates of the Rush Medical School, at
Chicago. When father made his de-
claration, it was then that the argu-
ment began which lasted for some
years. He had been making expert
ments along the line Of the circula-
ton of the blood, and had developed
the fact that normal supply of
blood was necessary for a healthy
body.
happened to be with my father: it
was a long time ago, but l can re-
member it because Of number Of cir.
cumstances incident to the occasion.
A number of things occurred which
made an impression upon me at that
time which will never forget. We
lived at Baldwin, Kansas, and had
made a little itinerary enroute to Eu
dora; we stopped at place whore
there had been a crippled boy; father
at that time was startling the people
around the country by reducing dis
locations, and might say that the be-
ginning Of the work was made by the
removing of complete dislocations-
not solicitations, but the complete
dislocation. We stopped at this
house, and found that the lad had fal
len and had since been unable tc
walk. Much money had been spent tt
cure this fellow but they had not sue
ceeded. We walked into the house
and asked to see the boy; father treat
ed him, and the boy got up and walk
ed. Before we got to Eudora, We
found child that had fallen and al
most completely lost it's sight. Faith
er treated this child, and before w
left, the child was able to see.
We then drove to Eudora, and i
was there, as the boys say "the bubble
bursted." My uncle was a preacher
and when father said that if Coz
made man in his perfect image, the1
there were no imperfections; if HI
wished man to take pills, then FL
would have provided him with hum
on his back as pocket for the pills.
My uncle was greatly perturbed.
That was forty years ago; the
growth Of Osteopathy has taken place
practically in the last % years, for hi
went his own way for years and years
and worked hard, and it was only il
I1S84-1885 that anybody recognized ANY
merit in this system. It was in 1884,
that we boys began to see that eithel
father had wonderful touch or w
had some ability-it was about tina
time that we had begun to believe a!
the people Of Kirksville and othe
places said, that it was a gift and a:
soon as father died, it would die will
him. But it was also at this time tina
we got at some things, and in 1879:
and 1892 we began to know that w
could do things.
In 1892, the 18th of May, the frs
charter of the American School of Os
teopathy at Kirksville, Mo-, was taker
out
1t was June 22nd, 1874 that father
has taken as the birthday of Osteo
pathy; have differed with him g
number of times that that was the