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Osteopathic Medicine in America 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. This philosophy was developed in 1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, who pioneered the concept of "wellness" and recognized the importance of treating illness within the context of the whole body (Rosenberg1972). Andrew Taylor Still, was born in Virginia in 1828, the son of a Methodist minister and physician. At an early age, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps as a physician. After studying medicine and serving an apprenticeship under his father, he became a licensed M.D. in the state of Missouri (Gevitz 1982). Later, in the early 1860's, he completed additional coursework at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Kansas City, Missouri. Then he went on to serve as a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the Civil War and following the death of three of his children from spinal meningitis in 1864, Still concluded that the orthodox medical practices of his day were frequently ineffective, and sometimes harmful (Rosenberg, 1972). He devoted the next ten years of his life to studying the human body and finding better ways to treat disease. His research and clinical observations led him to believe that the musculoskeletal system played a vital role in health and disease and that the body contained all of the elements needed to maintain health, if properly stimulated (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine 2003). He also believed that by correcting problems in the body's structure by the use of manual techniques now known as osteopathic manipulative treatment, the body's ability to function and to heal itself could be greatly improved. He also promoted the idea of preventive medicine and endorsed the philosophy that physicians should focus on treating the whole patient, rather than just the disease. These beliefs formed the basis of a new medical approach, osteopathic medicine. Based on this philosophy, Dr. Still opened the first school of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, Missouri in 1892 (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine 2003). Osteopathic physicians known as D.O.s work collaboratively with their patients and are licensed to practice in all 50 states. They can practice in numerous fields from family medicine to obstetrics, surgery, etc. Since they are trained to look at patients as a whole person from their days in medical school, they see each person as an individual rather than a collection of body parts that are injured or diseased. With this special training they got, D.O.s develop strong communication skills and sees people with diverse backgrounds. Due to the fact that they use this ?whole-person approach to medicine,? about 60% of osteopathic physicians choose to practice in family practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics and 40% of all doctors specialize in particular areas (AACO 2003). In the particular day and age as mentioned in the site at AACO (2003), one must graduate with a bachelor?s degree in order to apply for any of the 20 osteopathic schools in the United States. They must take certain prerequisite courses in science to be a qualified applicant. The applicants must also take the MCAT, with average score of 24 or higher and a GPA of 3.35 overall and 3.26 science GPA in order to be considered for admission but varies among schools. Students that get admitted to osteopathic schools take a range of courses in all of the subject areas such as anatomy, physiology, microbiology, histology, osteopathic principles and practices (including osteopathic manipulative medicine), pharmacology, clinical skills, doctor/patient communication, etc.
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