Andrew Taylor Still

Still had three children from his first marriage, who died from a bout of spinal meningitis. He married Mary Elvira Turner, after the death of his first wife in childbirth; with whom he had a daughter. The girl child died of pneumonia, shortly after he lost his other kids, forcing him to question the medical practices and beliefs of those times.

Andrew retained his responsibilities in the ‘American School of Osteopathy’ till his final days. A stroke, he suffered in 1914, left him incapacitated. His health started degrading gradually and he breathed his last three years later. His disciples and colleagues, at the ASO, mourned ‘The Old Doctor’s’ death.

Andrew was the third child of Abram and Martha Still, and was born on August 6th, 1828. His parents had eight other children apart from Andrew. The family resided in Lee County, Virginia, where his father worked for a protestant church missionary, as a minister and physician. Still’s father was a supporter of the anti-slavery movement and he passed on the same values to his children.

After moving along with his family to Kansas, in 1853, Taylor willed to pursue medicine. As per the trend commonly followed during those days, Andrew taught himself medicine through various books and underwent apprenticeship under his father to put the knowledge thus earned to practice.

When the state of Kansas was engulfed in a conflict between the people who supported slavery and those who didn’t, he actively participated in the battle along with his siblings. After the war ended, he was nominated as a state legislator for the Douglas and Johnson counties in 1857.

Even after the onset of Civil war in 1861, between the Union and Confederate forces, in America, Taylor continued serving the people in various roles such as that of a physician. While treating the wounded, he first noticed the short comings of traditional healing practices.

Still, who had seen his father’s patients suffering from epidemics like smallpox, cholera as a child, had developed an interest in medicine at an early age. Suffering a personal loss, when his three kids died of meningitis after the American Civil War, he pursued medicine full-time and decided to explore better methods of treatment.

Enrolling in the new ‘College of Physicians and Surgeons’, in 1870, he studied the conventional practices followed in medicine. Later, he conducted research on various alternative treatments, like magnetic healing and bone setting, to develop a better method of treating the ill.

The local church renounced his theories that many of the diseases can be cured without drugs. He suffered opposition from all fronts including his family. His brothers even abandoned him and none of the medical schools were ready to listen to his ideas. However, Andrew continued his pursuit undeterred.

In the late 1850s, the founding stone for ‘Baker University’ was laid out on the 640 acres of land, which Andrew and his brother had donated. Still was also involved in the construction work, overseeing the building of facilities.

Still is known for his pioneering work on osteopathy. His philosophy, of ‘preventive medicine’, laid the foundation for modern day medicine. He insisted on treating the diseases by regulating the musculoskeletal system rather than administering drugs.