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The Historical Revolution in Osteopathic Medicine: How did A.T. Still challenge the 19th-century medical system?
With the transformation of the American medical system in the late 19th century, osteopathic medicine founded by Andrew Taylor Still (A.T. Still) began to show its potential to subvert traditional medicine. Medicine at the time was widely criticized for being ineffective and often causing greater harm to patients. Still's idea that doctors should focus on the causes of illness rather than just treating the symptoms was a revolution in the medical environment at the time.
"Structure and function are closely related to each other, and rational treatment should be based on an understanding of these principles."
In the American School of Osteopathy founded by Still, he emphasized that the human body is a whole and believed in the integration of body, mind and spirit. He firmly believes that adjusting the musculoskeletal system can treat a variety of diseases and should be the first choice of medical treatment. This concept not only challenged the mainstream medical measures of the time, which were dominated by drugs and surgery, but also provided patients with safer treatment options that would not cause harm like the poisons and unclean surgeries that were popular at the time.
However, Still and his followers faced fierce resistance to their endorsement of osteopathic medicine. The American Medical Association (AMA) considers osteopathic medicine a cult and strongly opposes its legitimacy, often even attacking the qualifications and skills of osteopathic surgeons. This tension continued into the early 1900s.
"I don't know if I ever really cared about these orthopedic surgeons before you started kicking them out of state, but I haven't been able to sleep since I heard about it." -Mark Twain
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The famous writer Mark Twain became an unexpected advocate of osteopathic medicine. He expressed his support for orthopedic surgeons in a clear and clear manner, which attracted widespread attention. Twain's involvement undoubtedly enhanced the social visibility of this movement and brought more attention to the value of osteopathic medicine.
Entering the 20th century, osteopathic medicine gained partial legitimacy in its confrontation with classical medicine. In the 1940s, osteopathic medicine gained public trust as treatment drugs and surgeries advanced. Over time, the government also began to recognize the legitimacy of this branch of medicine. In 1966, the Pentagon enacted a policy allowing osteopathic surgeons to practice in the U.S. military, just like traditional physicians.
Nevertheless, the process of integration into mainstream medicine has not been smooth. In 1962, it was reported that California had passed a proposal requiring the issuance of medical degrees with only a simple examination and procedures, which led many orthopedic surgeons to choose to abandon the DO degree and obtain the MD degree instead. This move has triggered a rethinking of the identity of medicine, and whether osteopathic medicine is too dependent on the framework of traditional medicine has become a hot topic in the contemporary medical community.
"The distinction between many PhDs and medicine is blurring now, and they all receive similar training."
Today, the training of orthopedic surgeons and medical doctors is almost identical, and many orthopedic surgeons no longer use the OMT they learned in their practice. Faced with this reality, the definition of osteopathic medicine is once again challenged. This situation has triggered a discussion on whether a unique path in medical education should be maintained, and has also led the academic community to re-examine the future of osteopathic medicine and its cultural value.
Ultimately, osteopathic medicine was not just a branch of medicine, but rather challenged the medical norms and concepts of the time. From the in-depth historical background, we can see the values advocated by A.T. Still and its long-term influence. As the medical community places more emphasis on physical and mental health, does the historical revolution in orthopedic medicine foreshadow another possibility for future medicine?
