By Lee Jarvis. Proofreading and editing by Emily Honegger.
Dr. Andrew Taylor Still frequently talks about the concepts and importance of blood flow in relation to the health of the human body. “The rule of the artery supreme” is arguably Dr. Still’s most famous quote about blood or otherwise. There are many other instances in which the founder of Osteopathy talks about the quality, content, and propulsion of blood, and how these concepts influence health. As this was such a repeated concept we believe it was of great importance to Dr. Still. Below are some quotes from Dr. Still that further illustrate these ideas; quotes that we feel hold true to this day and we hope to see better proven in time.
“There is not a known atom in the whole human make-up that has not been propelled by the heart through the channels provided for such purpose. Every muscle, bone, hair, and all other parts without an exception have traveled through this system of arteries to their separate destinations.” (A.T. Still, Philosophy of Osteopathy, p. 98)
In this context, we believe the word “atom” to mean what it means today, the small particle that makes up molecules. Historically both the terms “atom“ and “molecule“ were well within use by the time the book Philosophy of Osteopathy was published. When Dr. Still is referencing every atom of the “whole human make-up” we take it to mean that he is referring to every part of the body from the smallest mineral to the largest organ in this case. Taking all of this together we believe Dr. Still means to say that each of the large and small parts of the body, within their constant process of building and rebuilding, must at one point be propelled through the cardiovascular system.
It is well known that the Lungs acquire oxygen from the surrounding air. The Digestive System absorbs water and vital nutrients. Oxygen, water, and nutrients are essential to human life and so this means the lungs and digestive organs are of great importance to the most basic functions of life. That being said, anything brought into the body must then be delivered by the cardiovascular system through the arterial system. Nutrients that stay entirely within the digestive system are of no help to the rest of the body. Oxygen that stays within the Alveoli assists in no cellular processes. With this logic, it makes sense that Dr. Still was so adamant about the unobstructed flow of blood. Transport of essential life substances is as valuable as their acquisition, hence the following:
“The osteopath’s foundation is that all the blood must move all the time in all parts to and from all organs.” (A.T. Still, Research and Practice, p. 28)
“The osteopath has his own symptomatology. He seeks the cause, removes the obstruction and lets Nature’s remedy, arterial blood, be the doctor.” (A.T. Still, Research and Practice, p. 9)
“With the knowledge of the function of the arterial blood to build and the venous blood to carry off, the [osteo-path] should hold himself at all times to the tenets of osteopathy, and allow no accumulation of fluids to be retained in any gland of the face, neck, or other portion of the body.” (A.T. Still, Research and Practice, p. 11)
Taken as a purely literal concept we can say that blood flow keeps cells alive. We can be sure this statement is true in the immediate, life-sustaining sense as the absence of blood flow to any cell is rapidly fatal. In an attempt to modernize this concept, we believe that what Dr. Still was referring to was the optimal blood flow occurring to a cell, tissue, or organ over a significant span of time. All parts of the body require a certain amount of blood supply at any given time. The amount of blood flow needed to a cell varies constantly depending on the metabolism or energy demands of the cell. The body must constantly work to ensure that the correct amount of energy supply/blood flow is occurring through a complex interplay between numerous systems.
The Artery delivers to the Arteriole which delivers to the Capillary and from the capillary the cell receives oxygen, water, and nutrients. There are muscles that control the flow amounts through each of these vessels which allow for greater or lesser flow on dilation and constriction. The Venous and Lymphatic systems will carry away the fluid component delivered by the artery as well as the waste products of cellular metabolism. Though smaller, there are muscular elements in addition to valves in both the venous and lymphatic vessels to ensure a return to the heart. The need for a greater or lower blood pressure to an area as well as specific muscular control of any of these vessels is regulated by the Autonomic Nervous System. As this is a highly coordinated, multi-system interaction, it is possible that it is imperfect and prone to inaccuracy from time to time. It is possible that because of this inaccuracy there are times when all these interacting systems are not delivering the optimal amount of blood flow to some groups of cells. In the short term, this inaccuracy should have no significant consequences to the health of the cell or the person as a whole. However, over the course of an individual’s lifetime if these interacting systems are more regularly inaccurately delivering optimal blood flow they could theoretically result in a less healthy person.
Admittedly, this interaction and resulting sub-optimal blood flow has not at all been shown in the research. Dr. Still throughout his lifetime as an Osteopath was constantly indicating the interaction of the Musculoskeletal system with all these previously mentioned systems, adding further complexity to the relationship. As much as there are initial indications that the musculoskeletal system influences the venous and lymphatic return, we are simply not at the point where we can make a clear relation between these many moving parts and health.
It is the author’s hope, and likely the hope of anyone in the Osteopathic or manual therapy professions, that these concepts and relationships are more thoroughly analyzed and shown in the future.
Dig on.
References
Webster, George V. Sage Sayings of Still. Wetzel Publishing Co., Inc., 1935, pp. 35-37, babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b267134&seq=8.
Dennis H. Rouveray, Elements in the History of the Periodic Table, Endeavour, Volume 28, Issue 2, June 2004, Pages 69-74 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016093270400050X