The modern American doctor took root in this country in the mid-1850’s after the American Medical Association was established. Early on, there were considerable differences between medical doctors, whose expertise was in the use of drugs and medicine and those of the surgeon who performed operations, perhaps because the former attended school and the latter were barbers. In fact, The American College of Physicians was established in 1915 in an attempt to keep the two disciplines separate. Today, both are M.D.s and are recognized and accepted to be specialist in different fields.

In the 1870’s, Osteopathic Medicine got its start in the U.S. when an American doctor (M.D.) sensed that the body might be able to heal itself if it were structurally and mechanically more stable. An emphasis was made on stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms, rather than trying to destroy or suppress a particular disease process. In contrast to traditional allopathic medicine, the osteopathic physician approaches the patient holistically, again, with the stress of treatment geared toward getting the body to heal itself. There are 26 colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Like the American M.D., Podiatry got its start from the early days of the European monarchy. Chiropodists were part of the King’s court and were concerned with the non-surgical and palliative care of the King’s feet. When Europeans migrated to North America, so did chiropodists. In the late 1950’s, chiropody became Podiatry, the practice of medical and surgical care of the foot. Aside from an undergraduate degree, a podiatrist attends a four- year medical school followed by a residency and may continue his training, depending on the interest of sub-specialties. There are 7 Podiatric medical colleges.

The medical doctors (M.D.), osteopaths (D.O) and podiatrists (D.P.M) have an educational track consisting of 2 years of didactics and laboratory followed by 2 years of clinical rotations through multiple disciplines. The main differences begin where the D.O. emphasizes the musculoskelatal system and works with manipulation and the D.P.M. whose focus are the medical, surgical and orthopedic aspects of the lower extremity. Furthermore, upon graduation, the M.D. must choose a specialty where the osteopath and podiatrist have already. All have hospital privileges, all write prescriptions and all are accepted by insurance carriers.

Andrew Schwartz, DPM
Sharon, CT