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Classic Osteopathic Literature
Osteopathic Public Library

Introduction

We are the next lineage of teachers transmitting the philosophy of Osteopathy to upcoming generations of Osteopaths and anyone else interested in this vibrant profession. We are not technicians. We are not just scientists without principles. We have a philosophy. We are Osteopaths trained under the guidance of our history. Osteopathic history accentuates our rich philosophy and our core principles.

It is a blessing, not a burden, to study Andrew Taylor Still’s original writings, as well as those of the early Osteopathic pioneers. These early Osteopathic ideas, and ideals, may be old but they are not obsolete. To explore original Osteopathy literature is not the dry schoolwork of inconvenient memoirs.

By immersing ourselves in the classic writings of Still and the early Osteopathic pioneers, we return to our source and we discover our essence as Osteopaths. My mission is to expose every Osteopath to the dynamic set of principles presented to us by A. T. Still and expanded upon by his direct students.

The digital age has made antique Osteopathic books and journals available to everyone with a computer. In the past one had to travel to a select few American Osteopathic medical school libraries to view rare and out of print books. Unfortunately, most American Osteopathic medical schools have not made it a priority to collect historical books oriented toward the Osteopathic profession.

The only complete source of original Osteopathic literature has been, and continues to be, the Still National Osteopathic Museum at A. T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. They have the most extensive collection of Osteopathic books and journals in the world. They have archives of original papers from A. T. Still and many early Osteopathic pioneers. Their mission is to preserve Osteopathic history and promote research into this great profession. However, one must travel to Kirksville, Missouri to have direct access to their extensive library and collections of rare papers.

Still National Osteopathic Museum
Early Journals and Osteopathic Books

There are two ways to gain access to early Osteopathic literature from the comfort of your home computer. The first is to access the Early Journal Project at the Still National Osteopathic Museum. This project was launched in 2007 with the original goal to digitize the Journal of Osteopathy (which was published between 1894 and 1905). Since then thousands of additional pages have been added and it now includes many other early Osteopathic journals and textbooks from some of the greatest Osteopathic scholars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The fee for accessing their extensive collection of searchable documents is $10 per month for individuals (the fee schedule is different for educational institutions).

To log on the Still National Osteopathic Museum website go to this link, there you can register online for access to their expanding digital library:
Still National Osteopathic Museum,
Early Journals and Osteopathic Books

Osteopathic Public Library

There is another way to access original Osteopathic literature and related writings. I have created The Osteopathic Public Library, a free collection of out of print books made available through the Google Books Library Project.“The Google Books Library Project's aim is simple: make it easier for people to find relevant books—specifically, books they wouldn't find any other way such as those that are out of print—while carefully respecting authors' and publishers' copyrights.” The Google Books Library Project is working with twenty major libraries from around the world to digitize their collections of out of copyright books and then include them in the web-based Google Books Library Project.

I have spent a considerable amount of time collecting all of the currently available Osteopathic books that are now in the public domain and have been scanned to searchable PDFs in the Google Books Library. Not all of these important books are searchable in the Google search engine by using obvious key words such as Osteopathy or Osteopathic. Keywords are not created by Osteopaths, but by librarians with no real exposure to Osteopathy. I have made the search for original Osteopathic literature easier for everyone by creating The Osteopathic Public Library. I have also included in this collection 19th century antique medical books, historical documents relating to the history of Osteopathy, textbooks by practitioners of other forms of manual therapy founded in the 19th and early 20th century, selected works by the great allopathic physician Sir William Osler, and finally historical materials relating to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. All of these books help to create a body of work that will help Osteopathic scholars have greater access our unique history and related disciplines. Provided for your appreciation are over 60 books and 11 editions of classic Osteopathic journals.

Each book contains two formats for access.

  • The first is the direct link to the Google Books Library Project web page. From here, you will be connected to the Google books search engine that contains a searchable version of each unique book.

  • The second format is a non-searchable PDF version that is available for you to download, save or print. You may then read this book at
    your own pace without being connected to the internet.

Listed below are the subject headings for each section of the Osteopathic Public Library. Click on the subject heading link to be directed to the book selections provided in that category.

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