Opening the Doors of Medicine to Women
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Thomas A. Quinn
At the time of the inception of osteopathy in the late 19th century, the practice of medicine was dominated by men. In 1892, Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, opened the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) in Kirksville, Missouri. Still stated: “I opened wide the doors of my first school for ladies.”1(p413) The ASO not only was the first college of osteopathic medicine, an entirely new and innovative medical reformation, but also accepted female students on an equal basis as male students. The first catalog of the ASO stated:
Women are admitted on the same terms as men. It is the policy of the school that there shall be no distinction as to sex, and that all shall have the same opportunities, and be held to the same requirements. They pursue the same studies, attend the same lectures, are subjected to the same rules, and pass the same examinations.2
When Still established the ASO, most medical schools were open to men only.3 A smaller number of medical schools, mostly homeopathic and eclectic, accepted few women into their classes,4 and a handful of all-female medical schools existed.5
The ASO’s first class had 6 women in a class of 23 students. The word rapidly spread and, in 1897, Alice Patterson, DO, ASO class of 1895 and one of the school’s early faculty members, wrote: “We now have about one hundred earnest, intelligent, level-headed, rather than ‘strong-minded,’ young women in our school.”6
Blanche Still, DO, the daughter of Still and an 1895 graduate of the ASO, wrote: “There is no science more beautiful than Osteopathy, none better adapted to woman whose delicate sense of touch makes her qualified for its study and practice.”7(p245)
Still firmly believed in the equality of the sexes. His mother, sisters, and wife were all strong, self-sufficient pioneer women on the American frontier, and Still had witnessed their strength and ingenuity. He had no doubt that women could be the equal of men in the practice of medicine. Still included women and minorities in the profession since its inception.8
Since 2011, the osteopathic medical profession has seen a 63% increase in female osteopathic physicians younger than 35 years.9 Thanks to the work of Still and women like Louisa A. Burns, DO, and Jeanette Hubbard Bolles, DO, who continued to push the osteopathic profession toward gender equality, 40% of osteopathic physicians in active practice today are women.9
References
1. Still AT. Dr. A.T. Still’s department. J Osteopathy . 1898;4(9):410-414.Search in Google Scholar
2. Catalogue of the American School of Osteopathy, 1897-98;52. Located at: Museum of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Missouri.Search in Google Scholar
3. Medical history—women in medicine. Health Guidance website. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/6355/1/Medical-History--Women-in-Medicine.html. Accessed January 26, 2017.Search in Google Scholar
4. Cazalet S. Female medical college & homeopathic medical college of Pennsylvania. Homéopathie International website. http://www.homeoint.org/cazalet/histo/pennsylvfem.htm. Accessed January 26, 2017.Search in Google Scholar
5. Flexner A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada . Boston, MA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; 1910:178-179.Search in Google Scholar
6. Patterson HE. Women in osteopathy. J Osteopathy . 1897;4(1):11-12.Search in Google Scholar
7. Still B. Will it injure a lady’s standing to study osteopathy? J Osteopathy . 1898:5(5):245-246.Search in Google Scholar
8. Burnett MM. Women contribute greatly to medicine: Andrew Taylor Still Memorial Address. The DO . 1999;40(10):55-59.Search in Google Scholar
9. 2016 Osteopathic Medical Profession Report . Chicago, IL: American Osteopathic Association; 2016. http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/about/aoa-annual-statistics/Documents/2016-OMP-report.pdf. Accessed January 30, 2017.Search in Google Scholar
© 2017 American Osteopathic Association
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Articles in the same Issue
- EDITORIAL
- History of Osteopathic Medicine: Still Relevant?
- STILL RELEVANT?
- Opening the Doors of Medicine to Women
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Predictors of Sunburn Risk Among Florida Residents
- Dermascope Use by Osteopathic Primary Care Physicians
- Use of the Spencer Technique on Collegiate Baseball Players: Effect on Physical Performance and Self-Report Measures
- MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Osteopathic Medical Student Practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment During School Break
- SPECIAL COMMUNICATION
- A Qualitative, Interview-Based Study of the Health Policy Fellowship’s Osteopathic Identity
- CASE REPORT
- Gabapentin-Induced Bullous Pemphigoid
- Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in the Management of Isaacs Syndrome
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Recurrent Painful Calcium Pyrophosphate Arthropathy
Articles in the same Issue
- EDITORIAL
- History of Osteopathic Medicine: Still Relevant?
- STILL RELEVANT?
- Opening the Doors of Medicine to Women
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Predictors of Sunburn Risk Among Florida Residents
- Dermascope Use by Osteopathic Primary Care Physicians
- Use of the Spencer Technique on Collegiate Baseball Players: Effect on Physical Performance and Self-Report Measures
- MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Osteopathic Medical Student Practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment During School Break
- SPECIAL COMMUNICATION
- A Qualitative, Interview-Based Study of the Health Policy Fellowship’s Osteopathic Identity
- CASE REPORT
- Gabapentin-Induced Bullous Pemphigoid
- Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in the Management of Isaacs Syndrome
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Recurrent Painful Calcium Pyrophosphate Arthropathy
