19th century, a new movement within medicine Frontier physician
Andrew Taylor Still,
MD founded the American School of Osteopathy (now the
A.T. Still University-Kirksville (Mo.) College of Osteopathic Medicine) in
Kirksville, Missouri in 1892 as a radical protest against the turn-of-the-century medical system. A.T. Still believed that the conventional medical system lacked credible efficacy, was morally corrupt, and treated effects rather than causes of disease. He founded osteopathic medicine in rural Missouri at a time when medications, surgery, and other traditional therapeutic regimens often caused more harm than good. Some of the medicines commonly given to patients during this time were
arsenic,
castor oil,
whiskey, and
opium. In addition, unsanitary surgical practices often resulted in more deaths than cures. Still intended his new system of medicine to be a reformation of the existing 19th-century medical practices. He imagined that someday "rational medical therapy" would consist of the manipulation of the musculoskeletal system, surgery, and very sparingly used drugs. He invented the name "osteopathy" by blending two Greek roots
osteon- for bone and
-pathos for suffering, to communicate his
theory that disease and physiologic dysfunction were
etiologically grounded in a disordered musculoskeletal system. Thus, by diagnosing and treating the musculoskeletal system, he believed that physicians could treat a variety of diseases and spare patients the negative side effects of drugs. The new profession faced stiff opposition from the medical establishment at the time. The relationship of the osteopathic and medical professions was often "bitterly contentious" Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the policy of the
American Medical Association labeled osteopathic medicine as a
cult. The AMA Code of Ethics declared it unethical for a physician to associate with an osteopath voluntarily. One notable advocate for the fledgling movement was
Mark Twain. Manipulative treatments had purportedly alleviated the symptoms of his daughter
Jean's epilepsy as well as Twain's own
chronic bronchitis. In 1909, he spoke before the
New York State Assembly at a hearing regarding the practice of osteopathy in the state. "I don't know as I cared much about these osteopaths until I heard you were going to drive them out of the state, but since I heard that, I haven't been able to sleep." Philosophically opposed to the American Medical Association's stance that its own type of medical practice was the only legitimate one, he spoke in favor of licensing for osteopaths. Physicians from the
New York County Medical Society responded with a vigorous attack on Twain, who retorted with "[t]he physicians think they are moved by regard for the best interests of the public. Isn't there a little touch of self-interest back of it all?" "... The objection is, people are curing people without a license, and you are afraid it will bust up business." Following an accreditation survey in 1903, the American Osteopathic Association began requiring 3-year curricula at osteopathic medical schools. The acceptance of osteopathic physicians was further solidified in 1996 when
Ronald Blanck, DO was appointed to serve as
Surgeon General of the Army, the only osteopathic physician to hold the post. However, the decision proved to be controversial. In 1974, after protests and lobbying by influential and prominent DOs, the
California Supreme Court ruled in
Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California v. California Medical Association that licensing of DOs in that state must be resumed. Four years later, in 1978, the
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific opened in Pomona, and in 1997,
Touro University California opened in
Vallejo. As of 2012, 6,368 DOs were practicing in California.
1969, AMA House of Delegates approval , by year: In 1969, the American Medical Association (AMA) approved a measure allowing qualified osteopathic physicians to be full and active members of the Association. The measure also allowed osteopathic physicians to participate in AMA-approved intern and
residency programs. However, the
American Osteopathic Association rejected this measure, claiming it was an attempt to eliminate the distinctiveness of osteopathic medicine. In 1970, AMA President Dwight L. Wilbur sponsored a measure in the AMA's House of Delegates permitting the AMA Board of Trustees' plan for the merger of the DO and MD professions. Today, a majority of osteopathic physicians are trained alongside MDs, in residency programs governed by the
ACGME, an independent board of the AMA.
1993, first African-American woman to serve as dean of a US medical school In 1993,
Barbara Ross-Lee, DO, was appointed as the dean of the
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine; she was the first African-American woman to serve as the dean of a US medical school. Ross-Lee is the sister of singer
Diana Ross.
2006, American Medical Student Association In 2006, during the presidency of an osteopathic medical student, the
American Medical Student Association (AMSA) adopted a policy regarding the membership rights of osteopathic medical students in their main policy document, the "Preamble, Purposes and Principles."
2007, AMA In recent years, the largest MD organization in the US, the American Medical Association, adopted a fee non-discrimination policy discouraging differential pricing based on attending an MD or DO medical school. In 2006, calls for an investigation into the existence of differential fees charged for visiting DO and MD medical students at American medical schools were brought to the American Medical Association. After an internal investigation into the fee structure for visiting DO and MD medical students at MD medical schools, it was found that one institution of the 102 surveyed charged different fees for DO and MD students. The house of delegates of the American Medical Association adopted resolution 809, I-05 in 2007.
State licensing of practice rights In the United States, laws regulating physician licenses are governed by the states. Between 1896 and 1973, osteopathic physicians lobbied state legislatures to pass laws giving those with a DO degree the same legal privilege to practice medicine as those with an MD degree. In many states, the debate was protracted. Both the AOA and the AMA were heavily involved in influencing the legislative process. The first state to pass such a law was Vermont in 1896; the last was Mississippi in 1973. ==Current status==