Divisions of the Body—Searching for the Cause—Duty of the Osteopathic Explorer—Classification and Division—The Abnormal—Nerve Powers—Witnesses to Examine—Abnormal Growths—Cerebro Spinal Fluid—Body in Perfect Health—Chemistry—Nature's Chemistry.
DIVISIONS OF THE BODY.
After many long years, treating and trying to teach the student of Osteopathy how to hunt for and find the local causes of diseases, not contagious, or infectious, I have succeeded in planning and suggesting a method, which I am sure the doctor can easily follow, and find any diversion from the normal, that would interfere with the nerves, veins, and arteries, of any organ or limb of the body. I have formulated a simple mental diagram that divides the body into three parts, chest, upper and lower limbs. The first division takes in head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis. The second division takes in head, neck, lower and upper arm and hand. The third division takes in foot, leg, thigh, pelvis and lumbar vertebra. I make this division for the purpose of holding the explorer to the limits of all supplies. In the ellipse of the chest is found all vital supplies; then from that center of life we have two branches only, one of the arm, and one of the lower limb. In each division we have five points of exploration.[1]
SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSE.
To illustrate, we will take the lower limb, whether there is lameness, soreness, gouty, rheumatic, neuralgic, swollen, shrunken, feverish, cold, smooth and glassy, sores, ulcers, erysipelas, milkleg, varicose veins, or any defect that the patient may complain of, who is the only reliable book or being of symptomatology. For convenience we will divide that lower limb into five parts, the foot, leg, thigh, pelvis and lumbar region. The patient (symptomatologist) tells us he has a pain in front, center and under part of foot. Now the doctor or bird dog, can find quails of reason in but one field that would lead him to the cause. As this field is divided into five parts and the hunter has carefully searched four divisions, he will find the cause or causes in the fifth and none other. If a dislocated bone is not found in the foot after ascertaining that there has been no crushing by falling bodies, horses feet, stepping on glass, nails and other things that would penetrate the foot, and irritate by being broken off, closed and remaining in the flesh; we will explore the leg for the quail, ascertain if the articulation is normal at ankle and knee. If we find the bone is not broken, the leg has no splinters of wood, nor injured flesh by bites from dogs or other animals, nor any other substance that would injure the leg, we are prepared to pass on and explore another place for pain in the foot. We go on to division No. 3 or the thigh division, and ascertain if the thigh is normal in all conditions, properly in socket, with all muscles, ligaments and nerves unoppressed. There are but two more divisions left for exploration, and they are the most important and interesting of the five, the pelvis and lumbar, through which all the nerves of the limb pass. We must stop at pelvis and observe carefully that there is no twist of ligaments before going to lumbar, which is the last of the five divisions. If we have found nothing in the previous four, and have explored them as carefully as we should, we have but one brush heap left, and that one contains the quail that we have been hunting for. As the lumbar contains and conveys all nerve forces to the pelvis from the brain and all divisions of the lower limbs, we will now examine the articulations of that part of the spine, and in that we are very certain to find the cause if we have made no mistake in our examination in the preceding divisions of the limb. As we enter the exploration of this part of the spine we must remember that we are about to deal with the many divisions of the nerves of the cauda equina. The great question before us, comes after this form. What would wound or bruise any division of nerves that would lead by the way of the great or lesser sciatic, to a bone in the front and under side of the foot? Jars, strains, twists, and dislocations, must be carefully searched for. A partial dislocation of one side of the spine would produce a twist which would throw one muscle on to another and another, straining ligaments, producing conjestion and inflammation, or some irritation that would lead to a suspension of the fluids necessary to the harmonious vitality of the foot, which is the great and only cause by which the suffering is produced in a foreign land, which we call a famine in the foot.
DUTY OF THE OSTEOPATHIC EXPLORER.
This method of exploration is not directed by the sound of the fog-horns of unreliable and unsatisfactory symptomatology. Osteopathy has a method of its own, which is correct or it has no method at all, and is guided by the surveyor's compass that will find all corners as established by the orders of the government and surveyor's general. Thus an Osteopath must find the true corners as set by the Divine Surveyor. The general surveyor hands our plats and specifications to the division general, with instructions to establish all lines and divisions, state, county, township and sections, and mark each one by stones or otherwise, so they cannot be lost; but are findable by any competent surveyor who follows the field notes displayed in anatomy. Thus you would see a successful Osteopath is guided by the field notes of nature to all corners, his business is to know that every corner stone is in its place, standing erect as nature designed and established it. If he tolerates any variation of this stone or stones from the place or places that God the grand surveyor of the universe has placed them, he will observe there is an infringement and cause for inharmony and discord of the possessors of the four quarter sections of land, for which this cornerstone was placed; and his sworn duty is to bring this stone from any variation from the field notes and establish it where it was first placed. Thus his ability to find the true corners and adjust all stones will mark him as a successful Osteopath.
CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION.
I will classify or divide man's body for convenience of exploration for diseases into head and neck first; then head, neck and chest, third, head, neck, chest and abdomen; then unite head, neck, chest, abdomen and sacrum. I will take up a few diseases under each division as they are located. By this method I think I can better show what nerves should be more or less active.