Andrew Taylor Still was an American physician who founded the field of osteopathy in the late 19th century. He was born in 1828 in Virginia and grew up on a farm in Missouri. After completing medical school, he practiced as a doctor in Kansas and Missouri, where he developed an interest in the role of the musculoskeletal system in health and disease.
Still believed that the body had the ability to heal itself and that manual therapy, including manipulation of the musculoskeletal system, could help to restore balance and function to the body. He developed a system of treatment that he called “osteopathy,” and in 1892, he established the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, which is now known as the A.T. Still University of Health Sciences.
Osteopathy is now recognized as a distinct form of healthcare in many countries around the world and is practiced by doctors of osteopathy (DOs). It is based on the principles of holistic care and the belief that the body has the ability to heal itself when its musculoskeletal system is in proper alignment and functioning properly. Osteopathic doctors use a variety of manual therapy techniques to diagnose and treat patients, in addition to using medications and other traditional medical treatments.
