A.T. Still und die Viszera

Osteopathy should only be differentiated into parietal, visceral, craniosacral and fascial areas or regional sections of the human body for methodological and didactic reasons, if at all. This categorisation is in any case reduced to absurdity in the actual osteopathic treatment of patients, because the application criteria of osteopathy cannot be considered in isolation in terms of structure or region. In addition, the primary criteria of the practical osteopathic procedure, nutrition and excitation, must be applied to all structures. This also applies to the viscera of the human body. A.T. Still already mentioned this in his works and illustrated it with numerous practical examples of application. He also explained the importance of the internal organs and their relationship to the other body compartments in an osteopathic context. In particular, he emphasised the relevance of the brain and heart for a well-functioning organism. Modern osteopaths certainly have the great merit of having structured and expanded osteopathy in the visceral area, although the foundation and the clear approach were already laid down in detail by A.T. Still on the basis of the philosophy of osteopathy and its assumptions.