Journeyman: William Garner Sutherland, The Formative Years (1873-1900)

Journeyman: William Garner Sutherland, The Formative Years (1873-1900)
Author: 
Jane Eliza Stark, DOMP
Publisher: 
Roe House Press
Book Description: 

Journeyman: William Garner Sutherland, The Formative Years (1873-1900) chronicles the early life and times of William Garner Sutherland (1873-1954), the osteopathic physician who originated and developed the osteopathic cranial concept. Journeyman tells Dr. Sutherland’s backstory, his parents’ backgrounds, his upbringing in Wisconsin and his graduation from the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) in Kirksville, Missouri. Sutherland left no known autobiography, diaries, or personal notations. Therefore, Journeyman has used information about the people, places, and events from his environment to create this biography. Through vivid descriptions, old photographs, and maps, the reader is positioned alongside Sutherland and his family members, employers, mentors, and instructors at the ASO (including A.T. Still, the founder of osteopathy).

Because of his family’s poor financial situation, Will was obliged to enter the working world at the approximate age of twelve. He joined “the force” of a newspaper in Blunt, Dakota Territory, as an apprentice. He worked on several Midwestern newspapers over the next dozen years, holding the positions of compositor, printer, foreman, journeyman, and reporter. During that time, he developed a highly refined set of manual skills and the mechanical aptitude, power of concentration, and receptivity that would position him to realize the potential for inherent motion within human skull bones that he later saw displayed in a cabinet at the ASO. That realization formed the basis of his osteopathic cranial concept, which has exerted a profound influence not only on the practice of osteopathy, but also on other forms of manual therapy. William Garner Sutherland’s thought and realization will be further developed in the companion volume to Journeyman, which is currently being written.

Author Biography: 

Jane Eliza Stark is an osteopathic manual practitioner who lives and practices in the countryside about fifty miles west of Toronto, Canada. Besides osteopathy (D.O.M.P.), Jane holds credentials in the fields of athletic therapy (CATc), kinesiology (RKin), and pharmaceutical research administration (MS). She has also completed the Evolutionary Osteopathy (EVOST) program in Europe, which she credits with solidifying her understanding of the importance of historical context.

Jane’s primary passion is researching and synthesizing osteopathic history. In 2000, she began examining the life and times of Andrew Taylor Still, osteopathy’s founder. That project not only fulfilled the requirements for a diploma in osteopathy from the Canadian College of Osteopathy, but also became her first academic publication, Still’s Fascia: A Qualitative Investigation to Enrich the Meaning Behind Andrew Taylor Still’s Concepts of Fascia. Since that publication, Jane’s interest has focused on important osteopaths and corresponding events of the late 1800s, culminating in her newly-released book, Journeyman: William Garner Sutherland, the Formative Years (1873-1900).

Jane has the unique ability to situate osteopathic figures, such as A.T. Still, John Martin Littlejohn, and now William Garner Sutherland, in their historical context, thereby enhancing the relevance of otherwise inconsequential lists of facts, probabilities, and possibilities. Her historical renditions are carefully constructed to limit author bias, allowing the reader the freedom to make his or her own determination of the significance of each element of the story. In addition, Jane always provides an easy-to-follow and thoroughly documented set of references, so not only are her writings verifiable, but also serve as lasting and reliable reference works.

In addition to practicing, researching, and writing, Jane has lectured internationally and has taught seminars on many subjects, such as a fluidic approach to fascia, osteopathic history, A.T. Still, the Spanish flu, spirituality in early osteopathy, considerations for patients with acute low back pain, and Sutherland’s approach for patients recovering from influenza. With her travel currently limited by COVID-19 restrictions, Jane is busy working on the companion volume to Journeyman, which is to be titled Fulcrum: William Garner Sutherland, the Professional Years (1900-1954).

Reviews: 

“Journeyman is a much-needed study of William Garner Sutherland and Jane Stark is the one to write it. Because of the author's exhaustive research and objective portrait of Sutherland in his milieu, this book and the coming volumes will become the standard and authoritative account if the life of William Garner Sutherland.”
Carol Trowbridge, author of Andrew Taylor Still, 1828-1917
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“Accompanied by pictures, charts and maps, Journeyman tells a fascinating story of how William Garner Sutherland developed the initial skills and inspiration for his cranial model. A must-read for anyone practicing cranial osteopathy.”
Marie Colford, DO(QC)
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“Jane Stark has done an amazing job of researching and describing a trio of histories: William Garner Sutherland’s genealogy and early years; the development of osteopathy; and the progress of the methods of typesetting and printing in the newspaper industry. Her detailed accounts of all three takes this story well beyond the range of a standard biography.”
Glenn Ickler, grandnephew of William Garner Sutherland
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“Journeyman is a well-referenced, scholarly book that does an exemplary job of exploring the formative periods of Sutherland’s life, including his work as a newspaper journeyman and his years studying osteopathic medicine at the first school of osteopathy. It provides a valuable backstory to Sutherland’s life and career. I am looking forward to the companion book to follow, which will explore Sutherland’s career, thinking, philosophy, and spiritual interests, as well the development and application of his cranial concept.”
David B. Fuller, DO, FAAO, FNAOME, Professor, Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and author of Osteopathy and Swedenborg: The Influence of Emanuel Swedenborg on the Genesis and Development of Osteopathy, Specifically on Andrew Taylor Still and William Garner Sutherland
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“Jane Stark takes us with her on the adventure journey of the Sutherland family. What influenced W.G. Sutherland, his path into Osteopathy. In addition, she gives an extraordinary view on the history of osteopathy and even America! The book is strongly recommended for all who are interested in knowing this history.”
Frank Mueller, MD, DO-DAAO, DOM-EROP Orthopedic Surgeon & Osteopathic Physician, President of the European Register of Osteopathic Physicians (EROP), member of the Board of Directors of the Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA), Vice-President of the German-American-Academy of Osteopathy (DAAO)
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“An ordinary tale revealed in an extraordinary manner enables the reader to experience the hardships endured in early life, whilst gaining insights on how William Garner Sutherland’s future concepts were shaped.”
Tajinder K Deoora, DO(Hons) Dip Phyt MSc FSCCO, Director Deoora Clinic, Faculty & Fellow of Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy (UK), International Lecturer, author of Healing Through Cranial Osteopathy

Price: $59.00
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