History of osteopathy

Dr A T Still of Missouri, USA founded Osteopathy in 1874.  Trained in Medicine Dr Still’s transition into his role as Osteopathy’s founding father was not an easy one.

The medicine of the day is now considered to be quite barbaric, with major operations performed without any anaesthesia and techniques such as blood-letting common-place.  This lead Dr Still to become disillusioned with Medicine and prompted him to research into alternative forms of Medicine.

Originally Dr Still advertised his skills as a ‘Lightening Bone Setter’.  Bone setting was more common in the UK, the Matthews Family in particular had a long history dating further back than 1680 as bonesetters in the Midlands.
As a bone setter Dr Still treated medical pathology with his approach, with such success that patients would travel from far and wide to see him.  As a result he set up boarding houses to accommodate his patients.
Dr Still refined his approach and set up an Osteopathic School in Kirksville, Missouri. This is still there today… all be it in a slightly different form Click here and Click here.

John Martin Littlejohn enrolled in the ASO (American School of Osteopathy) and on completion returned to the UK.  Teaching started 1898.  The next event being the establishment of the British School of Osteopathy (BSO) in 1917 in Buckingham Gate London. The school was relocated in the 1980’s to Suffolk Street and then in mid 1990’s Borough High Street in London where it still resides to this day.

The two largest colleges of UK osteopathic education are currently the European School of Osteopathy and the University College of Osteopathy {formerly British School of Osteopathy)

The profession is currently recognized by government and regulated by the General Osteopathic Council