The British School of Osteopathy the First 100 Years

By Martin Collins

The British School of Osteopathy is the oldest and largest teaching institution of osteopathy in the UK. To mark the one hundred years of its history, the book traces its chequered history and the characters involved from when it was simply providing vocational training and awarding its own diploma to it becoming a mature, higher education institution with Taught Degree Awarding Powers. It is a story of incredible achievement despite sometimes almost insurmountable obstacles to its progress.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Sep 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524593193

Martin Collins

This is the first book by Martin Collins

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Copyright © 2016 by Martin Collins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 09/27/2016

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Illustrations

Abbreviations

Chronology of Significant Events

Chapter 1 Introduction and Sources

Chapter 2 From Early Days to 1929

Chapter 3 1930–1939

Chapter 4 1940–1949

Chapter 5 1950–1959

Chapter 6 1960–1968

Chapter 7 1969–1978

Chapter 8 1979–1988

Chapter 9 1989–1997

Chapter 10 1998–2005

Chapter 11 2006–2016

To Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne, The Princess Royal for her support as Patron of the School for over 30 years and to the many faculty, staff and students who, over the last 100 years, have contributed to making the School the success that it is today.

Acknowledgements

I am particularly indebted to Lady Percival (Audrey Smith), Colin Dove, Charles Hunt and Clive Standen for commenting on substantial sections of the manuscript relating to their periods at the School and for providing information supplementary to what I had written.

Many current and ex-colleagues at the British School of Osteopathy (BSO) have contributed to this book; some just answered a query, while others read and commented on specific sections. To all these, I am particularly grateful: the late Paul Blanchard, Lucia Evans, Fiona Hendry, Daryl Herbert, Robin Lansman, Ian Maguire, Sarah Matthews, Will Podmore, Stephen Sandler, Elizabeth Sharma, Stephen Tyreman, Steven Vogel, Mark Waters, Francesca Wiggins, Margaret Wolff and Nicholas Woodhead. I am also grateful to Nina Waters for checking parts of the manuscript for possible legal implications. None of the above, nor the British School of Osteopathy, however, should in any way be held responsible for any errors, omissions, or misinterpretations that may be in this book.

I should also like to thank John O’Brien, archivist of the National Osteopathic Archive, for allowing me to access material in the archive, for many helpful discussions and for providing high-quality scans of photographs. I have also valued as a source of information his two books: Bonesetters: A History of British Osteopathy and John Martin Littlejohn: An Enigma of Osteopathy, to which on several occasions I have referred. I am grateful to Andrew White of Anshan Ltd, who published these books, for the permission to quote from them.

I acknowledge with thanks for the permission to reproduce under licence photographs in their possession: the National Osteopathic Archive (photographs 1–5 and the School badge on the front cover) and the British School of Osteopathy (photographs 8–10 and the current logo on the front cover).

Illustrations

1. John Martin Littlejohn, co-founder of the School and Dean (1917–1947), at his desk.

2. 16 Buckingham Gate, London, home of the School 1930–1980.

3. The BSO faculty and staff (c.1934). Front row, second from left: John Martin Littlejohn. Front row, to his right: T. Edward Hall, Dr James Littlejohn, Shilton Webster-Jones. Back row, second from right: John Martin Littlejohn Jr. Back row, third from left: Clem Middleton.

4. Margot Gore, Chair of the Board of Governors (1978–82), and Reginald Carpanini, later Chair.

5. Four Principals (1948–1990). Left to right: Shilton Webster-Jones, Colin Dove, Stanley Bradford, and Sir Norman Lindop, and also Vice-Principal, Lady Percival (Audrey Smith).

6. Dr Martin Collins, Derrick Edwards, and Professor Stephen Tyreman at a BSO graduation.

7. Four Principals. Left to right: Clive Standen, Dr Martin Collins, Sir Norman Lindop, and Colin Dove at a BSO graduation.

8. The BSO Teaching Centre, 275, Borough High Street, London SE1.

9. Charles Hunt (Principal) and Margaret Wolff (Vice-Principal) c.2006.

10. The BSO Clinical Centre, 98–118, Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1.

Abbreviations

Chronology of Significant Events

Chapter 1

Introduction and Sources

The history of the British School of Osteopathy is a remarkable story of achievement. It is the story of how an institution has grown and developed from a small school providing basic professional training and awarding an in-house Diploma to what it is today, 100 years later, providing Masters’ courses and with Taught Degree Awarding Powers. It has not been a smooth progression; there have been times when progress was slow, when there were setbacks, and when its very survival seemed uncertain, all of which add to the richness of its history. A strength of the BSO, however, is that it is a ‘learning institution’ making good its deficiencies and always tenaciously striving to improve through the efforts of a dedicated, enthusiastic, and hard-working faculty and staff.

A few words of caution need to be said in advance of this account regarding sources of information. Such are usually included in a preface, but as prefaces are often not read and as the reliability (or the lack) of sources upon which this history is based needs to be appreciated by readers, they and other preliminary comments have been allocated an initial chapter.

The sources of this book vary over the period covered. The early history of the School is very dependent on the accounts by John Martin Littlejohn, the co-founder of the School and its Dean for thirty years, and on accounts by others at that time, but there are contradictions in these. The Minutes of the Board of Governing Directors for July 1943 noted that old records prior to 1936 were to be scrapped because of a shortage of space and the national demand for paper salvage; a great loss! The Report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords (1935) provides valuable information from witnesses under oath, especially Littlejohn, but there is evidence suggesting that there was a certain amount of ‘embellishment’ by him of the facts to protect the School and himself, both of which came under considerable criticism at the time. Important and reliable sources of information, particularly on Littlejohn, Edward Hall and the BOA, were John O’Brien’s two books. (See Acknowledgements).

Minutes of the meetings of the Board of Governing Directors exist from July 1935 and of the Council of Education from February 1939. From 1983 and later, there are also the minutes of the Academic Board/Council and other committees. Minutes of meetings, however, are often brief and contain only conclusions, omitting the interesting debate that precedes them. They also tend to dwell on the problems faced by the School and hence convey a very negative picture of its functioning. I am grateful to Colin Dove, who, after reading a draft of the chapters covering the 1960s and 1970s, drew my attention to my distorted view of the School; I had conveyed it as being at that time in a sorry state, when in fact it was quite buoyant. The reason was that for my account of those years, I was heavily reliant on the minutes of meetings.

After the Second World War, the School’s history comes within the living memory of some. In a recorded interview in 1981, Shilton Webster-Jones, second Principal of the School, reflected on the curriculum under Littlejohn and the changes of it instigated in the 1950s. The personal accounts of Colin Dove and Lady Percival (Audrey Smith) have been exceptionally valuable in providing the background to historical events in the 1960s and 1970s. I am very grateful to them for their contribution to this book. While personal recollections are of great value, it is, however, a reality that memory filters and is selective, and time distorts them. If two people had a discussion witnessed by two others, it is possible there would be four differing versions of what was said. History is full of such contradictory accounts and they have been encountered in writing this history.

Ideally, one should ‘triangulate’ and find what is common to different versions of events, but regrettably, in many cases, there is only one version. To precede every statement with ‘Possibly’, ‘Probably’, ‘It is likely’, ‘The evidence suggests’ would make for laborious reading, but the reader is advised to be aware of this limitation.

Documentation of more recent history is more readily available—for example, from my monthly Principal’s Update (from 1998 to 2005) and, since then, from regularly published BSO broadsheets (such as In Touch, Staff Update, Alumni News, and Hands On), from research reports and from those who created the history who are still alive and can be consulted.

Having been associated with the School for a quarter of a century (1981–2006), I have been able, when covering those years, to draw upon my own personal records and memory. I apologise to readers for when doing so for using the first person (I), rather than referring to the author, my name, or the Principal (when it was I), which I thought somewhat stilted.

I have had, when writing about the period following my retirement, to rely largely on secondary sources, though with some input from current faculty and staff (see the acknowledgements). Regrettably, some were too busy to comment on my draft. The final chapter of this book is therefore not as rich in background to events as some of the others.

The deficiencies in the evidence were summed up in the Preface of my book Osteopathy in Britain: The First Hundred Years, which was published in 2005:

Rather like completing a complex jigsaw, producing it has been very exciting, as each new piece fell into place and a picture emerged. It has also been a great challenge. Unlike a jigsaw, the pieces were not readily available, scattered on the table. They have had to be sought and the picture will never be complete, as some pieces are lost forever. Some that once existed have long since been destroyed. . . . ¹

That book includes a history of the BSO, but the paucity of information when writing it regrettably resulted in both omissions and errors. Since its publication, a considerable amount of additional information has come to light that is now in the National Osteopathic Archive, including the personal papers of Audrey and Colin Dove, both of whom made significant contributions to the School. The current book makes good these deficiencies. The aforementioned book also only provides a history of the School until 1998. Eighteen years have elapsed since then! This book continues the history until June 2016.

I have made every effort to provide an account that is as accurate as possible within the limitations described above and to acknowledge wherever possible my sources of information. In collating and summarising a substantial quantity of information I suspect some errors may have been made, and there will be those who will disagree with what I have written. If that is so, I would be grateful to receive corrections, should there be a further edition.

In writing my previous book, I was torn between producing a readable account or producing something academic. As I tended towards the former, sources were often not stated. I have provided them more fully in this book, but as many are in the National Osteopathic Archive, which at the time of writing is about to undergo a relocation and resultant re-cataloguing of its content, full referencing to locations of materials within it has been omitted. Some sources of information used in my previous book I was no longer able to trace. With regret, I have had therefore, in some cases, to refer to my book as the source.

It is the people in history that give it colour, and this is particularly so with this history. There was much I would have liked to have included regarding those involved in the School’s more recent history, but for legal reasons I have been obliged to airbrush out some relevant background to events, and in a few cases, the events themselves. Some reading between the lines may therefore be necessary in places, but in the fullness of time, I hope that later historians will be able to publish what I have omitted.

It is something of a cliché among historians to say that history is seamless, but in describing it, there is sometimes a need to separate it into consumable bites. This history of the BSO could have been divided chronologically by decades of time (e.g. the 1920s), or by decades of its history (e.g. 1917–1926), but both approaches would have resulted in divisions through major events. The scheme adopted here is therefore to use these events, such as the relocation of the School, or a change of Principal, or a change in the course, to mark the beginnings and ends of chapters.

My intent initially was to produce a short, upbeat, coffee-table book, reflecting the School’s achievements to mark its centenary, but it soon became apparent that far more material was gathered than what would be appropriate for such a book. It seemed regrettable, however, if the additional information was jettisoned and lost. This book was therefore written as a more detailed account to accompany the coffee table book, which will—I hope—have the advantage of being far more fully illustrated.

The School continues to grow from strength to strength. As the Preface of Osteopathy in Britain: The First Hundred Years concludes, ‘Today’s events will be the material for tomorrow’s historians. I hope that this will become one of many on the subject. Others will follow and make good my deficiencies, as is the manner by which knowledge progresses.’¹

Reference

¹. Collins, M. (2005). Osteopathy in Britain: The First Hundred Years (North Charleston: BookSurge), Preface.

Chapter 2

From Early Days to 1929

Overview

The idea for a British school of osteopathy was discussed in 1903, but it was not until 1917 that one was officially incorporated. Its co-founder, John Martin Littlejohn, had studied osteopathy in the US under the founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still. Littlejohn was the Dean of the School until his death in 1947. The first students graduated in 1925, suggesting that the course was not delivered until 1923 despite accounts of a much earlier origin. A rift between Littlejohn and the British Osteopathic Association regarding ownership of the School resulted in a loss of faculty. BSO diplomates formed their own professional body that merged in 1929 with the Incorporated Association of Osteopaths. Littlejohn awarded diplomas to students and graduates of colleges that had closed, in part, on the basis of prior work undertaken. For this, he later received serious criticism. Following at least three changes of accommodation, by the end of the decade, the School needed and sought a more permanent home.

On entering the British School of Osteopathy building in Borough High Street, Southwark, London, and turning left into the large, tiered lecture theatre, one sees hanging on a wall in an ornate, gilt frame the portrait of a stern-looking man. It is not a flattering portrait. He looks quite humourless with his lips pursed, resembling—as a colleague once commented—‘a cat’s anus’. The portrait is of John Martin Littlejohn, without whom there would be no British School of Osteopathy.

Origins

The date of birth of the School is given as 7 March 1917.¹ That is the date of its formal incorporation, but it was conceived in 1903. Osteopathy had its origins in America, but by the early 1900s the first American-trained osteopaths began to trickle into the UK. In 1902 Franz Josef Horn and F. Willard Walker practised in London and Glasgow, respectively. The following year Jay Dunham began a practice in Northern Ireland. In 1903 Littlejohn was passing through Britain to visit cancer hospitals on the continent in connection with his research. He discussed with Horn and Walker the possible establishment of a school of osteopathy in England ‘to set up a standard of osteopathic science, to show the public what the science is and clinically to demonstrate its efficiency’.² Later that year, Jay Dunham and Ray Harvey Foote (who also practised in Ireland) agreed to help.²

John Martin Littlejohn

Littlejohn was so influential in the first thirty years of the BSO as its Dean that something of his background needs to be mentioned. For many years, accounts of his life were based on his autobiography and on biographies by T. Edward Hall and S. John Wernham, both of whom held him in too-high regard to be objective. There are disturbing deficiencies and contradictions in these accounts. Only recently has a more objective biography by John O’Brien provided a greater insight, to which the reader is referred.³

In very brief summary, Littlejohn was born in Glasgow in 1865 and was initially intent on a career following in his father’s footsteps in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. After studying appropriate subjects at the University of Glasgow, he had a ministry in Ireland in the 1880s, which he left ‘under a cloud’. By 1892 he had enrolled to undertake a PhD at Columbia College, New York, but the degree was never completed there. Then, after a brief period as President of Amity College in Iowa (1894–97) and following receipt of treatment by Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathy, in 1898 he became a Professor of Physiology (and, for a brief time, Dean) at Still’s American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, where he gained his knowledge of osteopathy.³

With his two brothers who were also there and with William Smith, a medically qualified Scotsman, he forced through the necessary changes in the curriculum that moved it away from the ‘evangelical osteopathy’ that Still preached, which was based on mechanics and anatomy, to one with a more rational basis in physiology. These changes were strongly resented by Still and his supporters, and for this and other reasons, the Littlejohn brothers left the ASO in 1900 to found their own school in Chicago, initially termed the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (much later to become the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine).³

Changes were afoot in osteopathic education in the US, especially after the Flexner Report of 1910, and it was considered inappropriate for schools to be owned and dominated by individuals. John Martin Littlejohn was ousted from the management of the college and a rift occurred between him and his brother James, who remained at the college, whereas John Martin acrimoniously left, returning to the UK in 1913, never to communicate with his brother again.³

Image%201.jpg

John Martin Littlejohn, co-founder of the School and Dean (1917–1947), at his desk.

Littlejohn with his wife and six children settled in Thundersley (North Benfleet), Essex, in a Victorian mansion, ‘Badger Hall’. He travelled to London daily to practise at 69 Piccadilly with J. Stewart Moore.³ They then moved to 48 Dover Street, Mayfair. Let us pause for a moment to consider these addresses. They are highly prestigious. Dover Street was once home to some twenty clubs, and Brown’s Hotel where Theodore Roosevelt had stayed. The rental of this practice must have been astronomical, but the clientele exceedingly wealthy. Littlejohn also probably left Chicago with not an inconsiderable pay-off. This, together with his income from his London practice, explains his ability to support financially both the School and, in some cases, its students, as mentioned below.

The Foundation of the School

On returning to the UK in 1913, Littlejohn resumed the plan to establish a British school of osteopathy.⁴ By that time, a significant number of American-trained osteopaths were practising in the UK, and by 1911, they had formed themselves into the British Osteopathic Society, which by 1923 had become the British Osteopathic Association (BOA).⁵ The support of these osteopaths as members of faculty was essential to the effective operation of the School in its early years.

In 1914, Littlejohn and J. Stewart Moore (on behalf of the BOA) wrote to the President of the GMC regarding a school of osteopathy and the teaching of the subject to medical students, medical graduates, and others. In his reply, Sir Donald MacAllister recognised that the right to practise the art of healing is based on qualification and that no restrictions can be imposed upon any theory of medicine.

Anyone who pursues the course of study and examinations prescribed by any of the licensing bodies in this country may obtain a qualification admitting him to the Medical Register and so bringing him under the jurisdiction of the General Medical Council. … It would therefore appear that the legislature has already provided for the registration of the practitioners that you have in mind on the conditions that they offer the statutory guarantees that they possess the knowledge and skill required for the efficient practice of Medicine and Surgery and Midwifery.⁶

The outbreak of the First World War interrupted further developments. In March 1915, a Memorandum and Articles of Association were drawn up to incorporate a ‘British School of Osteopathy’, but the Treasury refused to sanction the organisation of any body involving capital in a field not actually associated with war service.⁷

During the war, from 1915–1917, it is claimed osteopathic treatment was provided for distinguished naval, military, and aviation officers, including Lord Jellicoe, Lord French, and Earl Beatty, as well as ordinary soldiers, seamen, and airmen. One Major apparently had a dislocated shoulder which was said to be incurable. It was successfully treated osteopathically. A naval surgeon arrived at Victoria Station, unable to walk. He was successfully treated for a week at the Grosvenor Hotel. A young lady ambulance driver, injured in France and in the