Allopathic, or conventional medicine, schools account for the majority of medical students in the United States. The term denotes the traditional western approach to medicine, one of diagnosing and reacting to illness, injury or other dysfunction in the body. The western allopathic tradition is strongly grounded in empiricism, drawing on scientific research and double-blind comparative studies. The coursework in conventional medical schools imparts a detailed knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, nervous and circulatory systems, the history of medicine and the regulatory environment, among other subjects.
The osteopathic approach to medicine was established in the 19th century by Andrew Taylor Still, a trained doctor who found much to object to in the conventional medicine of the day. Still's approach emphasized a holistic approach to wellness, and was built around the physical manipulation of bones and tissues. The techniques of osteopathic medical manipulation, as it is called, have similarities to massage therapy and chiropractic treatments. During the 20th century, osteopathic medicine gravitated toward the medical mainstream in training and practice, and by the 1970s had achieved equal status in licensure.
In a 2009 report by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), the association listed a total of 26 osteopathic medical schools and three branch campuses, for a total of 29 training locations across the country. Students in today's osteopathic medical schools receive all the same training as conventional medical students and compete for the same residencies. The difference is that osteopathic schools also teach osteopathic medical manipulation, which is unknown in mainstream medical schools.
The relationship between osteopathy and conventional medicine has not historically been cordial. Lord Moran, Winston Churchill's personal physician, huffed in his diaries that the great leader's openness to such "charlatans" was a weakness in his character. In recent decades, as osteopathy has become more mainstream and mainstream medicine has embraced holistic treatment methodologies, the distance between the two has diminished. Osteopaths are more likely to be small-town doctors; AACOM notes that while osteopaths represent seven percent of all U.S. physicians, they account for 16 percent of patient visits in communities of 2,500 or less.