History of Osteopathy

The practice of osteopathy began in the United States in 1874. Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO. Coined the term “osteopathy”. Dr. Still was a physician and surgeon in Kansas at the time of the American Civil War. Still named his new school of medicine "osteopathy," reasoning that "the bone, osteon, was the starting point from which [he] was to ascertain the cause of pathological conditions."

Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now A. T. Still University of the Health Sciences) in Kirksville, Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy on 10th May 1892. While the state of Missouri, recognizing the equivalency of the curriculum, was willing to grant him a charter for awarding the MD degree, he remained dissatisfied with the limitations of conventional medicine and instead chose to retain the distinction of the DO degree.

The osteopathic medical philosophy is defined as the concept of health care that embraces the concept of the unity of the living organism's structure (anatomy) and function (physiology). These are the four major principles of osteopathy:

• The body is a unit.
• The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms, having the inherent capacity to defend, repair, and remodel itself.
• Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.
• Rational therapy is based on consideration of the first three principles.

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO

In New Zealand, the practice of osteopathy is regulated by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. Under the Act, it is a legal requirement to be registered with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand (OCNZ), and to hold an annual practicing certificate issued by them in order to practice as an osteopath. Each of the thirteen healthcare professions regulated by the HPCA Act works within the "Scope of Practice" determined and published by its professional Council. Osteopaths in New Zealand are not fully licensed physicians.