Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Synapsis Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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DR. ANDREW TAYLOR STILL STILL ONWARD I OSTEOPATHIC. Homeopathic. Allopathic. Xaturopathic. Do these mean anything to you.- They should represent the various schools of medical thought. Perhaps a great many people Mill be surprised by that statement. Cen- turies of conformity have left little desire to lend credence to new thoughts. It took many years for medicine to become organized as it is todav. Of course, in the beginning, the trials and tribulations of what we today call the doctor were man}-. How cruelly the men were treated who had the audacity to prescribe certain ingredients as drugs, who were bold enough to use sunlight and fresh air to treat their patients, who were so sacrilegious as to dissect bodies so that they might learn I Hypo- critical, narrow-minded, and thoughtless, we say. Yes, we judge the ancients because we are so far remoA ' ed. Yet, we have but to read our modern medical histor;.- to see that independent thinkers and men with well-founded claims were not even given the right to be heard. A ' hen Hahnemann and his associates asked for recognition, they were laughed at, ridiculed, and called quacks and fakers. By the layman? Xo. They had no technical knowl- edge. The ridicule was delivered by the men of the now fairly well-organized medical profession, among whom the predominant principles were allopathic. As time passed and Hahnemann and Homeopa- thy greM stronger. Allopathic medicine grew SYNAPSIS » 1038 28

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Dr. Wagner in the Pediatrics Clinic Emergency Room Hospital Kitchen - ' ■•

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stronger, and the fight was continued ; but now more seriously. Until finally, the number of graduate Homeopathic medical physicians was of sufficient size to secure a voice in organized medicine. Of course, the clinical results of both were about the same. Today, we find that the name medical doc- tor means to the layman nothing more than the title; but to the conformists of each school there is still a distinction. And now again, there arises a troubling incident. Another man has demanded to be heard, and has received only that which has been conventional. As may be expected, he new faces two schools who have practically united against him. Dr. Still and his Osteopathic medicine was proclaimed by the opposing medical schools to be the quack of mod- ern medicine, hen Dr. Still endeavored to ac- quaint his associates with the new applications of old discoveries, the medical profession stripped him of his degree. He struggled on under handicaps like the pioneers of old. At times he accomplished miraculous cures. Miraculous because his cures were on cases where his former colleagues had failed. Miraculous because sometimes the patient did not even have to take anything. But were they miraculous? Absolutely not, merely the appli- cation of anatomical and physiological facts pre- viously disregarded, but now heralded clinically. In the beginning of Osteopathic medicine there were those men who endeavored to cure everxthing by the use of their hands. They succeeded for a time, but as the number of their cases mounted, their percentage of cures decreased. These extrem- ists found that more was necessan. than just ten fingers. Sunlight, healthful air, good food, good attention, and good mental attitude were neces- sary-. All these, this baby physician, in the field of medicine, began to utilize. At the same time, the old schcol of medicine was making progress in its various fields. Out of this experimentation cer- tain agents were found tc be specifics. That is, they did what they were intended to do, as they were expected to do, and no more. Truly wonder- ful discoveriesi These few specifics are the only agents known which actuallv attack the source or cause of the disease. Other drugs which are used merely give symptomatic relief, but do not remove the cause. As these specifics became proven, and many clinical results showed them to live up to their claims, the Osteopathic phj-sician incor- porated them in his treatments. Conservatism was his motto, for too many human beings had died through experimentation. Not very many years ago, in the ISOC ' s, medical schcoling was not as comprehensive nor regu ' ated as much as it is today. Medical men could get their license by merely serving an apprentice period. Few men became Osteopathic by that pro- cedure. Almost from the start Osteopathic school- ing of some duration was necessary. Dr. Still ' s first course in 1892 was held in Kirksville, ] Io. This constituted the American School of Osteopa- thy. The school year was from November to March. Two years later, the course was extended to cover three years of nine months each. In 1916, the course covered four years of nine months each. Today, most of the recognized Osteopathic colleges require at least two years of pre-medical study at an accredited college in which certain scientific courses must have been successfully passed. This is, of course, in addition to a recognized high school education. There is a possibility at present that this preliminary requirement may be raised to three years. We have on the rolls of our colleges men and women who have graduated from colleges with many and various degrees, r lodern Osteopa- thy selects its practitioners with ever-increasing scrutiny. Today, in contrast with 1800, most cf our colleges are associated with Osteopathic hospitals. Here future physicians can learn at first hand those con- ditions which he will meet in practice. Each year more and more internships are a ailable for Osteo- pathic students. In the ven.- near future, with more clinical results and increased public opinion supporting us. we hope to o ' erride the pett - objec- tions put forth by the old school medical men and enter all hospitals which we are lawfully allowed. Thus insuring internship for all of our graduates. Some of the most prominent medical schools of SYNAPSIS • 1038 29