On June 22^nd 1874, Andrew Taylor Still, who was a medical doctor and surgeon by profession first elucidated the method and applications of Osteopathy.  Dr. Still was the first to treat patients as a whole while searching for the causes of dysfunction rather than treating symptoms.

Dedicated to his patients, he was rewarded with great success, restoring the dynamic equilibrium of the structures and the quality of  natural functioning to the organism.

Andrew Taylor Still created the first school of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, Missouri and the first charter of the American School of Osteopathy was registered May 10^th, 1892. This school welcomed everyone regardless of their race or religion and was very successful.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, William Garner Sutherland D.O., who had been trained by Dr. Still himself, pursued the work,  applying it to the Cranial field and to what was dubbed the Cranio-Sacral Functional Unit.

The next generation of osteopaths to carry on in the pure tradition of  working with the biodynamic aspect of Osteopathy, each adding their own contribution, includes such luminaries as Rollin Becker D.O., Thomas Schooley D.O., Ann Wales D.O. Viola Frymann D.O., Harold I. Magoun D.O. and others. …

It was during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, who himself had received successful osteopathic treatment, that this beneficial natural medicine became officially recognized in the United States. However in that country Osteopathy evolved towards the practice of medicine and surgery.  The Traditional Biodynamic Osteopathy with its reliance on the fine art of palpation and refined manual therapeutic techniques was largely abandoned.  Presently, however, the American Academy of Osteopathy is doing everything in its power to preserve the philosophy and potential inherent in the vision of its founder.

In 1993, “The Osteopathic Act” which regulates the osteopathic profession in England granted osteopaths a status equivalent to doctors of medicine and dentists establishing the necessary guidelines concerning public’s safety. By the early sixties Osteopathy was really flourishing. As far back as 1923 we can find Major Stirling D. O. introducing Osteopathy to a group of medical doctors in France.

In 1965 the first class of Osteopathy as applied to the cranial field was presented in Paris by Thomas Schooley, D.O., Harold I. Magoun, D.O. .and Viola M. Frymann, D.O. All three of whom been students of William Garner Sutherland, D.O. Among those attending were two famous French osteopaths: Francis Peyralade, D.O. and Bernard Barillon, D.O. as well as Denis Brooks the famous English osteopath. The first French Osteopathic Colleges were the founding roots for other institutions in Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Germany. French Osteopathy is well respected and renowned and the Osteopathic Tradition has been enriched and expanded in several fields, most notably in the visceral approaches of Jean-Pierre Barral, D.O., Jacques Weischenk, D.O., René Briend, D.O., etc.

In 1982, Philippe Druelle, D.O. created the Fondation Canadienne pour l’Enseignement et la Recherche en Ostéopathie with Denyse Dufresne, D.O., Jean Guy Sicotte, D.O. and Denise Laberge, D.O. This foundation is dedicated  to treating young children who are physically challenged with neuromotor anomalies or dysfunctions and trains students in the therapeutic methods of assessment and treatment appropriate to children.

For many years osteopathic trained professionals have been making approaches for the legal recognition of the Osteopathic manual practice. So far in Canada the training and profession have not been recognised by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and therefore the diploma of the college has been awarded under the Degree Granting Act. The Collège d’Études Ostéopathiques have been lobbying for the recognition by the Office des Professions in Québec. In parliamentary debate the program of the C.E.O. is used as the standard for recognition.  Its academic program was used as a model. 

Since 1992, the Association des Diplômés en Ostéopathie du Collège has grown to include 350 members dedicated to promoting the osteopathic profession in Canada. Thanks to its efforts, the President, Isabelle Coindre, D.O. with the help of Pierre Bachand, D.O., the law has been changed to exclude the application of federal tax to osteopathic treatment. This is a first legal milestone toward recognition of the study, training and practise of Osteopathy as a profession in  Quebec and in Canada.

Student and Graduate Associations in Quebec (Association des diplômés en ostéopathie) (ADO) and in Ontario (Transitional Council of the College of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners) (TC-COMPO)  continue toward promoting the standards of Osteopathic Manual Practise as well as maintaining the issue of recognition for the studies and practice of Osteopathy.