Founder of Osteopathic Medicine

Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO was the father of osteopathic medicine as well as the founder of the first college of osteopathic medicine.

He was born in Jonesboro, Virginia (now known as Jonesville), on August 6, 1828. His father was both a Methodist minister and physician. Young Andrew Still decided at an early age to follow in his father's footsteps as a physician. As an apprentice physician to his father, he learned both from being at his father's side as well as from the course of study. He later served in the Civil War as a surgeon in the Union Army.

It was not until the early 1870s that Dr. Still separated himself from his MD counterparts by his pervasive criticism of the misuse of drugs common to the day. Believing that medicine should offer the patient more, Dr. Still supported a philosophy of medicine different from the practice of his day and in their place he advocated the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment.

Dr. Still founded a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. The philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body's ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly, and keeping fit.

On May 10, 1892, Dr. Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine). Dr. Andrew Taylor Still died on December 12, 1917, at the age of 89.

See also: The History of Osteopathic Medicine Virtual Museum.