History and development of Osteopathy

Osteopathy was founded in the late 1800s by physician and surgeon Andrew Taylor Still in Kirksville, Missouri. Still soon discovered that in order to achieve the highest possible form of health, all parts of the body should work together harmoniously. In 1892, Still took on the first wave of 22 osteopathic students at the American School of Osteopathy. The first class of both men and women were taught over a period of two years, along with physiology and anatomy education.

His goal was to restore the body to optimum health with minimal surgery and medicine, due to his knowledge at that time realising that medical treatments of that time were largely ineffective and in some cases harmful.

Over the period of time, during which he treated patients with a various range of conditions, such as sciatica and arthritis, he had gained a reputation as an effective practitioner. Many patients from all over America flew to get treatment by him. Soon, the demand was really high, boarding houses were built and train routes were altered to cater for the amount of people seeking treatment.

The education and support for osteopathic students has continued to improve, with more and more colleges and universities dedicated to teach osteopathy or support osteopathic colleges.