Philosophy of OsteopathyStill, A. T. (Andrew Taylor)
Philosophy
Philosophy of Osteopathy
Still, A. T. (Andrew Taylor)
Osteopathic medicine
The five points of observation will cover easily the whole body, and we
cannot omit any one of them, and successfully examine any disease of the
system. Local injuries are, however, an exception to this rule, and even
a local hurt often causes general effect. Suppose a fall should jar the
lumbar vertebra, and push it at some articulation, front, back, or
laterally; say the lumbar, with one or two short ribs turned down
against the lumbar nerves with a prolapsed and loosened diaphragm,
pressing heavily on the abdominal aorta, vena cava, and thoracic duct;
have you not found cause to stop or derange the circulation of blood in
arteries, veins, lymphatics and all other organs below diaphragm? Then
heart trouble would be the natural result. Fibroid tumors, painful
monthlies, constipation, diabetis, dyspepsia or any trouble of the
system that could come from bad blood would be natural results, because
lymph is too old to be pure when it enters the lungs for purifying. If
blood or chyle is kept too long below the diaphragm, it becomes diseased
before it reaches the lungs, and after renovation, but little good blood
is left. Then the dead matter is separated from blood and blown out at
the lungs while in vapor. Thus nutriment is not great enough to keep up
normal supply. In this stage the patient is low in flesh and feeble
generally, because of trouble with blood and chyle to pass normally
through the diaphragm.
VISCERAL LIST.
The failure of free action of blood produces general debility,
congestion, low types of fever, dropsy, constipation, tumefaction and on
to the whole list of visceral of diseases.
From this we are called to the pelvis. If the innominate bones are
twisted on sacrum or are driven too high or too low, an injury to the
sacral system of blood and nerves would be cause equal to congestion,
inflammation of womb or bladder-diseases, with a crippled condition of
all the spinal nerves. This would be cause enough to produce hysteria,
and on to the whole list of diseases to spinal injuries. The Osteopath
has great demands for his powers of reason when he considers the
relation of diseases generally to the pelvis; and this knowledge he
must have before his work can be attended with success.
As I said, five points comprise the fields in which the Osteopath must
search. I have given you quite pointedly and at length, hints on spine
and sacrum which cover the territory below the diaphragm. In conclusion
I will simply refer you to the chest, neck and brain, and say, "let your
search light ever shine bright on the brain." On it we must depend for
power. About all nerves do run through the neck and branch off to supply
both above and below, to do their parts in animal life, to the heart,
brain and sum total of man and beast. Search faithfully for cause of
diseases in head, neck, chest, spine and pelvis; for all organs, limbs
and parts are directly related to and depend on these five localities to
which I have just called your attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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