Osteopaths in Milwaukee

A list of U. S. osteopaths pre-eminent for scholarship as well as expertness would include: for orthopedics, George M. Laughlin of Kirksville, Mo.; for mental and nervous diseases, Arthur G. Hildreth of Macon, Mo. and Edward S. Merrill of Los Angeles; for manipulative osteopathy, Charles S. Green of Manhattan; for industrial accidents, Harry Goehring of Pittsburgh; for care of athletes, Forrest Allen of University of Kansas.

When the American Osteopathic Association, meeting in Milwaukee last week, reached the point of electing a successor to President Victor William Purdy they chose an osteopath more typical than any of the foregoing. Perrin Thacher Wilson, the elect, unable to enter Harvard regularly, studied mathematics there as a special student. Meanwhile he earned his living as chauffeur for a lumber dealer. Later he delivered cakes and studied automobile repairing, eventually entered the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Mo.

At 44 he has a large osteopathic practice in & around Cambridge, Mass., which he generously shares with one or two beginners. Mrs. Wilson keeps the office spick & span as her own apartment which is adjacent. Their English bull terrier, Judy, 52, regularly summons them to dinner. Judy also "plays the piano." No one may smoke in Dr. Wilson's office. As long as he is there he works "like the devil" until he gets "the jitters," which happens every month or so. Then he and his wife hie off to some quiet place where he can sleep, walk and read "something with no relation to osteopathy."

Osteopathic Education. At Milwaukee last week it was evident that the study of osteopathy has become much more rigorous since Dr. Wilson was graduated from Kirksville. All the osteopathic colleges now require at least graduation from a standard high school (reliable regular medical schools require a college degree as minimum), and four years study of osteopathy. The osteopathic curriculum includes a working knowledge of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biology, embryology, bacteriology, pathology, surgery, dietetics, hygiene. For study of these basic sciences standard medical texts are used. But in the study of diagnosis and treatment osteopaths have their own special texts.

Osteopathic Practice. Expounded Dr. Ray G. Hulburt, editor of A. O. A. publications: "The osteopathic physician holds that it is a part of his duty to find and remove various disease causes, including bad environment or faulty habits. He uses antiseptics when the skin or mucous membrane is broken or cut to admit infection, but for the great mass of disease germs which invade the body and constitute infections, he believes that if the body machine is in proper adjustment, it will itself make all the remedies it needs. When necessary the osteopathic practitioner uses anesthetics and surgery."

Among scores of other papers read at Milwaukee, noteworthy was that of Dr. Margaret Jones, Kansas City osteopathic obstetrician. She thus stated the case for her kind: "Too little attention is paid to the effects in mothers of the presence in the joints of the spine or pelvis of the condition which the osteopathic physician refers to as a lesion. The osteopathic physician who is able to remove these condi tions in his patient in advance of delivery or even the one who is called at the last moment and must do his best to overcome their effects by manipulation--even that osteopathic physician in whose patients there are no such lesions, but who by appropriate manipulations can stimulate the natural processes--has a tremendous ad vantage over the ordinary obstetrician who lacks this concept and who feels it necessary to resort to excessive anesthetics, to interruptions of labor and to instrumental deliveries as a way out."

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