1941: Osteopathy

The year 1941 marked advances in osteopathic participation in defense and public welfare activities, osteopathic physicians engaging in many phases of civilian defense, such as, home guard work, as well as serving with the armed forces.

Osteopathic organizations participated in innumerable conferences with state and national bodies, governmental and unofficial, having to do with the Selective Service System, Civilian Defense, Social Security, Child Welfare, Education, Nutrition and other matters, helping to reach decisions, and putting advanced methods into operation as they were agreed upon.

The necessity for continuing study on the part of physicians is reflected in an increasing number of state laws enacted at the request of osteopathic organizations, requiring annual review courses as a condition for maintaining a license to practice osteopathy. This year California, North Dakota and Ohio were added, California amending its law so as to require 30 hours of postgraduate work annually. Other legislative activity included these measures: Arizona enacted a straight osteopathic licensing board to take the place of the composite board which has prevailed (this being held up at least temporarily by a referendum); Arkansas, without a dissenting vote in either house, increased educational requirements for an osteopathic license; Georgia clarified and confirmed the rights which osteopathic physicians had for many years, until a court recently ruled against their right to employ drugs whose use is regulated by the Harrison narcotic law.

These pages last year reported the activities of the Committee on Research of the American Osteopathic Association. This year the American Association of Osteopathic Colleges also set up a Research Council to correlate activities in the various colleges and elsewhere. Its chairman has made a tour of osteopathic institutions, observing their research projects. Last year also there was reported the work of the Advisory Committee on Osteopathic Specialists, under the direction of which there were organized this year, in addition to the boards already functioning, the American Osteopathic Board of Anesthesiology, which is a subdivision of the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery; the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry, and the American Osteopathic Board of Proctology.

Women physicians, through the Osteopathic Women's National Association, were active in public health measures and vocational guidance work, and participated in the Jubilee Convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The Auxiliary to the American Osteopathic Association, an organization of lay women, took part in Red Cross activities and in civil defense measures, as well as giving its usual support to clinics and hospitals, and to public health education.