Osteopathy and the Rule of the Artery

The "Rule of the Artery is Supreme" in Osteopathy: Between the Quest for a Lost Novel and the Need for Scientific Emancipation

III. Why Does the Dogma Persist? A Psychosocial and Institutional Analysis

4. The Quest for the "Lost Novel": Nostalgia for a Mythologized Osteopathy

Certain osteopaths, particularly those claiming allegiance to a Stillian "purism," are engaged in an almost archaeological quest for the lost novel of osteopathy—an idealized narrative in which the discipline would have remained faithful to its founding principles, untouched and uncorrupted by modernity. This "novel" revolves around a heroic vision of Still, portrayed as a visionary genius whose writings (often obscure or contradictory) are seen as carriers of absolute truth.

This quest resembles a search for authenticity, where practitioners attempt to resurrect an "original" osteopathy, free from external influences (medical, scientific, or commercial). For these guardians of the temple, the "rule of the artery" is not merely a concept: it is the symbol of a bygone era when osteopathy, still "pure," performed miraculous healings through intuition and spiritual connection with the body.

This nostalgia feeds on an identity malaise: faced with the bureaucratization of healthcare and pressure to conform to scientific standards, some osteopaths see the "lost novel" as a refuge from a modernity perceived as hostile. Traditionalist conferences, study circles focused on Still’s texts, and stories of "impossible healings" become spaces where a mythical golden age is reinvented.

IV. Consequences and Risks: When Dogma Hinders Evolution

4. The Trap of the Lost Novel: Between Fantasy and Regression

The quest for the original novel is not without dangers. By seeking to preserve or resurrect a fantasized osteopathy, its adherents:

• Neglect real history: Osteopathy has always been an evolving discipline, even during Still’s lifetime. His writings were interpreted, revised, and sometimes contradicted by his own students.

• Foster sectarianism: Some groups, positioning themselves as the sole custodians of "true" osteopathy, create divides within the profession and isolate their members from scientific advancements.

• Encourage dogmatism: By essentializing Stillian concepts, they rigidify practice into inflexible protocols, such as an obsession with the "general osteopathic treatment" meant to restore the "rule of the artery," disregarding patients’ individualized needs.

V. Toward a Post-Dogmatic Osteopathy: Pathways for Reflection

4. Reconciling History and Science: A New Narrative for Osteopathy

Rather than chasing a lost novel—a literary illusion, not a historical reality—osteopathy could construct a renewed narrative, integrating both its heritage and the demands of the 21st century.

• Demystify Still: Acknowledge his brilliant insights (such as the importance of bodily holism) while contextualizing his errors (like his initial rejection of microbiology).

• Promote critical history: Teach not hagiography, but an analysis of osteopathy’s successes, failures, and adaptations in response to medical discoveries.

• Build symbolic bridges: Recontextualize the "rule of the artery" through modern metaphors, such as neurovascular regulation or intercellular communication, to anchor Stillian principles in contemporary scientific language.

Conclusion: From the Lost Novel to the Novel Yet to Be Written

The quest for osteopathy’s lost novel reveals a profound longing for meaning and belonging, but it risks turning the discipline into a museum relic. To avoid this fate, osteopathy must accept that its history is not a closed book, but a text constantly being rewritten. The true challenge is not to resurrect Still, but to draw inspiration from his audacity to explore new horizons—ones where the "rule of the artery" gives way to validated mechanisms, where dogma becomes hypothesis, and where the novel transforms into a scientific epic.

By transcending nostalgia, osteopaths could finally shift from being guardians of the temple to pioneers of a manual therapy that is both rigorous and humanistic, rooted not in myth, but in the fluid reality of life.