A History of Osteopathic Medicine in the United States
September 13, 2022As he practiced medicine in the mid-1800s, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still was dissatisfied
by what he saw. In 1874, he introduced a novel approach to medical care based on the
philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and interdependent on their structure
and function for good health.
David Fuller, DO, FAAO, FNAOME, professor and second-year course director of the Osteopathic Principles and Practice
course at PCOM, explained that Dr. Still recognized that each individual has a unified
mind, body and spirit.
“He also acknowledged that everyone’s body has an inherent ability to heal itself,”
Fuller said. “Dr. Still emphasized that optimal health can best be achieved by addressing
the neuromusculoskeletal systems in patient care.”
These beliefs led Still to develop a sophisticated approach of hands-on osteopathic
diagnosis and treatment, which he integrated into conventional medical care. In 1892,
Still founded the first osteopathic medical school. In the years that followed, osteopathic
medicine grew as new medical ideas and paradigms were incorporated. In 1899, Philadelphia
College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), became the third osteopathic school in the
United States.
According to Kristie Petree, DO, an associate professor and OMM chair at PCOM South Georgia, osteopathic medicine
has flourished since those early years.
“There are now nearly 40 osteopathic colleges with over 50 teaching locations across
the United States,” Petree said. “These colleges are educating more than 34,000 future
osteopathic physicians, which is more than 25 percent of all U.S. medical school students.”
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In addition to its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PCOM operates two locations in Georgia. PCOM Georgia, located in Suwanee, Georgia in the metro Atlanta area, opened in 2005. PCOM South Georgia, located in Moultrie, opened in 2019.
“PCOM has become one of the leading osteopathic schools in the United States,” Petree
said. “Our graduates are well-trained in all aspects of modern medicine, across all
medical and surgical specialties with a foundation in osteopathic medicine.”
These precepts, Petree explained, include recognizing the body, mind and spirit as
a single unit, capable of self-regulation and self-healing. This incorporates the
use of hands-on osteopathic diagnosis and treatment to maximize the health of patients
integrated into a comprehensive approach that includes the full scope of the practice
of medicine and surgery, she added.
Fuller and Petree encourage prospective students to learn more about osteopathic medicine
in general and PCOM in particular.
“Our past is meaningful and interesting,” Fuller said. “and our future is bright.”