Osteopathy, A. T. Still (1828–1917), His Acolytes and Patients,” Presented by Matthew A
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MAKING THE FRONTIER’S ANATOMICAL ENGINEERS: OSTEOPATHY, A. T. STILL (1828–1917), HIS ACOLYTES AND PATIENTS A DISSERTATION IN History and Humanities Consortium Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By MATTHEW ARTHUR REEVES B. A., Central Methodist University, 2008 M. A., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2014 Kansas City, Missouri 2020 © 2020 MATTHEW ARTHUR REEVES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED MAKING THE FRONTIER’S ANATOMICAL ENGINEERS: OSTEOPATHY, A. T. STILL (1828–1917), HIS ACOLYTES AND PATIENTS Matthew Arthur Reeves, Candidate for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2020 ABSTRACT This project seeks to understand osteopathy as patients, students, and doctors did during the late nineteenth century. A. T. Still’s osteopathic medical theories proclaimed manual therapeutics to treat disease. Still’s explanation for illness drew heavily on his learnings from the natural world, which he captured in his autobiography. These were teachings from a distant but divine creator who made man a “a perfect machine, that was made and put in running order, according to God's judgment.” Still imbued osteopathy with a humility and simplicity that invited patients to understand and evaluate their treatments as active participants. The first students at Still’s American School of Osteopathy profoundly shaped the discipline. Founded in 1892 in Kirksville, Missouri, the school saw massive growth during the period from 1892 to 1898. Using student ledger books, I analyze the first students to iii determine who became osteopaths. Many of these students came to osteopathy as a second career, after having worked as farmers or teachers, and most of them would not have sought training nor been accepted into a traditional medical school. Osteopaths have long celebrated their acceptance of women as equal practitioners. Women were welcome to osteopathic training, but gender shaped their experience and career outcomes. Contrary to modern thought, this early support did not mean that women’s experiences were the same as men’s experiences. Women were able to practice osteopathy without living the cloistered life of a nurse, nor were osteopathic women forced to choose between a feminine gender identity and being a physician, which was a perpetual struggle for many woman medical doctors. The therapeutic encounter between osteopath and patient helped explain the appeal of osteopathic medicine. Using patient testimonials from osteopathic journals, I examine the practicality, optimism, and patient-centered evaluation in osteopathic medicine. Still and the early osteopaths defended their drugless medicine and fought for its legal status. Patients played a key role in this process. By centering the claims for legitimacy on patients and their outcomes, Still’s therapies were accepted due to their perceived efficacy, not their adherence to medical orthodoxy. iv APPROVAL PAGE The faculty listed below, appointed by the School of Graduate Studies, have examined a dissertation entitled “Making the Frontier’s Anatomical Engineers: Osteopathy, A. T. Still (1828–1917), his Acolytes and Patients,” presented by Matthew A. Reeves, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, and certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. Supervisory Committee Lynda S. Payne, Ph.D., Committee Chair Department of History Christopher C. Cantwell, Ph.D. Department of History (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) John Herron, Ph.D. Department of History Diane Mutti Burke, Ph.D. Department of History Jason Roe, Ph.D. Digital History Specialist Kansas City Public Library v CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................. ix PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. xiii DEDICATION Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIOGRAPHY .......................................................................... 1 2. A. T. STILL AND THE IDEA OF THE FRONTIER .................................................................. 52 3. FROM FARMERS AND TEACHERS TO OSTEOPATHS ..................................................... 100 4. GENDER AND OSTEOPATHY......................................................................................... 171 5. THE THERAPEUTIC ENCOUNTER ................................................................................... 204 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 252 BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES ............................................................................................................ 260 SECONDARY SOURCES ....................................................................................................... 264 VITA ....................................................................................................................................... 275 vi ILLUSTRATIONS Illustration Page 1. Still's Novel Treatment for Headache ......................................................................... 60 2. Still Running the “Pow-Wow” on an Honest Blacksmith. ........................................... 71 3. Alice M. Patterson’s Diploma from the A. S. O. .......................................................... 84 4. Graduation Data from A. S. O., 1892–1898. ............................................................. 101 5. Student Ledger Information for William Clark and J. Homer Dickson. ..................... 109 6. Still’s Immediate Family, c. 1897. ............................................................................. 115 7. Student Enrollment Data, 1892–1898 ...................................................................... 120 8. Highest Level of Prior Educational Attainment among A. S. O. Students ................. 135 9. University of Missouri Approved Preparatory Coursework, 1899. .......................... 141 10. A. S. O. Students’ Former Occupations. .................................................................... 152 11. A. S. O. Enrollment by Prior Occupation. .................................................................. 153 12. Percentage of A. S. O. Students from Each State. .................................................... 156 13. Advertisement for the Wabash Route ...................................................................... 158 14. Advertisement for the Knickerbocker Special .......................................................... 159 15. Average Age by Former Occupation among A. S. O. Students ................................. 166 16. Officers and Faculty of the A. S. O. ........................................................................... 173 17. A. S. O. Enrollment by Gender. ................................................................................. 191 vii 18. A. S. O. Enrollment Year by Student Title. ................................................................ 192 19. American School of Osteopathy with New Wings, c. 1897. ..................................... 222 20. Interiors, American School of Osteopathy and Still Osteopathic Infirmary. ............ 224 21. Portrait of Miss Mae Critchfield ................................................................................ 244 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A lot of work goes into creating a dissertation – not just on the author’s end, either. There are many people to acknowledge and thank. First, in terms of the research, my gratitude to Jason Haxton and his staff at the International Center for Osteopathic History, A. T. Still University, Kirksville, MO. Without the student ledgers and osteopathic journals, there would have been no dissertation. To my mother and father, I want to thank you both for encouraging me to follow my ambitions. Dad, you always reminded me that I could do anything I set my mind to doing. That spirit made make me ask, “why not?” instead of assuming that things were impossible. Mom, your gentle reminders that, in the end, the dissertation was just an academic exercise helped bring me back to a healthy mindset. My love to you both. It is always a joy to have someone along for the ride. Marc Reyes and Austin Williams were excellent colleagues and my graduate school bookends, as it were. Marc was there from the first day that our cohort stepped on campus. I am impressed by the heights you have scaled, moving on to Connecticut, presenting at national conferences, and becoming a leader in your field. Oh, and a Fulbright? Pretty great for a ‘Roo. Austin, we experienced all the wack-a-doodle madness of doctoral studies, including this strange business of an iPhD. Your documentary was the most impressive thing I have ever seen a ix graduate student achieve. Between your scholarship, the documentary, and a rock band, you are the Renaissance Man of Raytown. I am proud to know you both. Onto the committee members. Jason, thank you for agreeing to get on-board this project. I appreciate your professional advice and encouragement, and I cannot ever fully express my gratitude for your message about a certain part-time job at the Kansas City Public