Founder of Osteopathy : Andrew Taylor Still

Andrew Taylor Still, an American medical doctor and surgeon, founded osteopathy in 1874. The son of a Methodist minister, Still attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Kansas City, served as a state legislator, and enlisted in the Ninth Kansas Cavalry and attained the rank of major during the Civil War. After the war, Still provided health care to settlers and American Indians. As he faced the epidemics of his time such as cholera, pneumonia, smallpox, diphtheria, and tuberculosis, he became increasingly disenchanted with orthodox medicine. In the search for adjuncts or substitutes for many prevailing medical therapies, he eschewed the liberal use of pharmaceutical drugs.

Still believed that the primary role of the physician was to facilitate the body's inherent ability to heal itself. He also believed that the structure and function of the body were closely related and that problems in one organ affected other parts of the body. He maintained that the physician could best promote health by ensuring that the musculoskeletal system was in as perfect alignment as possible and obstructions to blood and lymph flow were minimized or eliminated. To that end, Still developed various manipulative techniques and a philosophy of medicine that aimed to improve the prevailing system of medicine of his time.

The state of medical practice in the 19th century was characterized by multiple schools of healing, many of dubious value, and physicians who were often poorly or inadequately trained. Treatments such as bloodletting and the use of purgatives, mercury, or alcohol-based compounds were frequently seen. The American Medical Association was the dominant medical organization of the time. In trying to establish order and improve quality, the American Medical Association had little tolerance for other schools of thought. 

Still's ideas were initially rejected by his peers, and this initiated a half century long struggle for acceptance. Ostracized by both medical and societal organizations, Still was compelled to become an itinerant physician in Kansas and Missouri. However, his efforts to improve circulation and correct altered body mechanics through the use of manual medicine became more successful. Increasing demand for his services led to the establishment of the first osteopathic medical school, the American School of Osteopathy, which opened in Missouri in 1892. The curricula emphasized anatomy, histology, physiology, toxicology, and manipulation. 

According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, "Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical care founded on the philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one another for good health." In the western world, Dr Still is widely considered as the first physician to treat each patient as a whole, while searching for the cause of dysfunction rather than treating the symptoms.