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A T. Still: From the Dry Bone to the Living Man by John Robert Lewis
A. T. Still: From the Dry Bone to the Living Man is a biography of osteopathy’s founder. It explains how his science grew from a biological explanation for the origin of disease, based on the cutting edge medical science of the day, and how from it grew a system of treatment. The book is perfused by Still’s philosophy and written is a style that aims to inspire a revival of his teachings. Those teachings are timeless and they should form the basis of every osteopathic curriculum.
- GenresMedicineNonfiction
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1745
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 16, 2022
John Lewis has provided us with a valuable account of the life of AT Still. I commend his thoroughly researched work.
A.T. Still: From the Dry Bone to the Living Man is helpful for anyone who wants to understand the roots of osteopathy. To the 21st-century man who thinks osteopathy is quackery, Lewis shows how rational the treatment was in its time. When doctors were regularly poisoning patients with unsubstantiated drugs, Still based his treatments on meticulous observation of the anatomical structure as it related to function--developing rational sound manipulations that could provide significant relief to the body. Such is a lost art as physicians today are no longer interested in pouring over a body's structure for disfunction. They have instead put their faith in pharmaceuticals and surgery, lining their coffers in the process. In the vacuum, chiropractors and PTs have now become the foremost experts in manual therapy.
Philosophically, AT Still's osteopathic principles were more influenced by Native American pantheism than the Methodism of his father. The terminology he used in explaining his treatment is laced with spiritual references to the great teacher of nature and the perfection of the body. Such was not as taboo in an age when magnetic healing and homeopathy were legitimate forms of medicine, yet I believe many are uneasy with osteopathy because they find Still's language lacking in light of recent scientific discoveries. His mechanisms of disease and treatment are imprecise, even if generally true. For example, Still was able to describe the immune system as the general principle that the body has everything it needs to heal itself, years before we formally identified the antibodies, antigens, and leukocytes that make it work.
Still was like the ancient mathematicians who were able to manipulate numbers to predict the movement of solar bodies. These calculations were miraculous in their time, even if we have now reached a deeper and more accurate understanding of mathematics. Our view toward our predecessors shouldn't be one of shame and embarrassment of what they did not understand, but honor toward what they were able to understand in a world of ignorance.
Today's physician can remain an osteopath in principle while adopting modern medicine's more meticulous evidence-based treatments by using their hands to diagnose and treat, privileging observation, developing an instinct to optimize the body before introducing foreign substances, and maintaining the transcendent parts of medicine.
A.T. Still: From the Dry Bone to the Living Man is helpful for anyone who wants to understand the roots of osteopathy. To the 21st-century man who thinks osteopathy is quackery, Lewis shows how rational the treatment was in its time. When doctors were regularly poisoning patients with unsubstantiated drugs, Still based his treatments on meticulous observation of the anatomical structure as it related to function--developing rational sound manipulations that could provide significant relief to the body. Such is a lost art as physicians today are no longer interested in pouring over a body's structure for disfunction. They have instead put their faith in pharmaceuticals and surgery, lining their coffers in the process. In the vacuum, chiropractors and PTs have now become the foremost experts in manual therapy.
Philosophically, AT Still's osteopathic principles were more influenced by Native American pantheism than the Methodism of his father. The terminology he used in explaining his treatment is laced with spiritual references to the great teacher of nature and the perfection of the body. Such was not as taboo in an age when magnetic healing and homeopathy were legitimate forms of medicine, yet I believe many are uneasy with osteopathy because they find Still's language lacking in light of recent scientific discoveries. His mechanisms of disease and treatment are imprecise, even if generally true. For example, Still was able to describe the immune system as the general principle that the body has everything it needs to heal itself, years before we formally identified the antibodies, antigens, and leukocytes that make it work.
Still was like the ancient mathematicians who were able to manipulate numbers to predict the movement of solar bodies. These calculations were miraculous in their time, even if we have now reached a deeper and more accurate understanding of mathematics. Our view toward our predecessors shouldn't be one of shame and embarrassment of what they did not understand, but honor toward what they were able to understand in a world of ignorance.
Today's physician can remain an osteopath in principle while adopting modern medicine's more meticulous evidence-based treatments by using their hands to diagnose and treat, privileging observation, developing an instinct to optimize the body before introducing foreign substances, and maintaining the transcendent parts of medicine.
December 26, 2021
Excellent book on the life of AT Still and the origins of osteopathy. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this with the insights into American history and medicine.
February 19, 2023
A beautiful rendition of A.T. Still's life that leaves you thirsting for the truth.
June 25, 2023
One of the most comprehensive and useful biographies on the man who discovered the Science of Osteopathy.
July 14, 2023
John has given us a true jewel of a book, it connects us back to the true roots of the osteopathic profession and has left me both inspired, motivated and validated in my own private practice.
October 13, 2025
This is a book for anyone who has ever been really curious about Osteopathy and its origins. A.T. Still was an absolutely amazing person, who was so far ahead of his time. What some may not love is how much of a mystic he was, but that is part of why I love this book so much. It shows his deep struggle with religion, with the fallacies of medicine in his time, and with racism. He was part Shawnee and embraced his heritage with reverence. And his insights into the CAUSE of illness and dysfunction were what fueled his journey, and led him to solutions that we are still unpacking today.
As an osteopath who has fallen back in love with osteopathy, I highly recommend this book.
As an osteopath who has fallen back in love with osteopathy, I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews