Andrew Taylor Still begins the osteopathic movement

Background. Andrew Taylor Still was a physician, surgeon, and legislator who believed that the medical practices of his time caused significant harm and lacked effective treatment for disease. His dissatisfaction with conventional medicine led him to develop a new approach. He reasoned that the bone, or osteon, was the starting point for ascertaining the cause of pathological conditions, leading to the naming of his new school of medicine as osteopathy.

Ideology. The techniques of osteopathy are based on an ideology created by Still that posits the existence of a myofascial continuity, a tissue layer linking every part of the body. This system emphasizes physical manipulation of muscle tissue and bones. Still described the foundations of osteopathy in his book The Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy, published in 1892, though the practice itself began in 1874.

Legacy. Still is recognized as the founder of osteopathic medicine. The practice began in the United States in 1874. While the American School of Osteopathy was established later in 1892, the foundational ideology and the start of the movement are attributed to Still's work in the 1870s. The term osteopathy derives from Ancient Greek words for bone and pain, reflecting Still's focus on the skeletal system.