The European School of Osteopathy has a dual origin: from the Ecole Française d'Ostéopathie and the Osteopathic Institute of Applied Technique / Maidstone Osteopathic Clinic, it grew to become the European School of Osteopathy, now recognised as one of the worlds premier osteopathic educational institutions.

1951: The Ecole Française d'Ostéopathie was founded in Paris by Paul Geny, D.O.

1957: The School in Paris was strengthened through the influx of British Osteopaths: Thomas G Dummer, Parnell Bradbury, Denis Brookes and Colin Winer. Mr Dummer became active in the School's quality assurance by re-writing its curriculum, a revision which was completed in 1961

1965: For legal reasons, the School transferred to the United Kingdom. It rented rooms at the British College of Naturopathy & Osteopathy at Frazer House, London. Thomas G Dummer took over as Principal for the School. Despite renting rooms at the then BCNO, the School remained academically autonomous and independent

1968: The number of students attending the School had increased to such an extent, that overflow seminars were started. These were held in Maidstone. Arrangements were made with the Maidstone Osteopathic Clinic to house the School. By 1971 the whole School had transferred to Maidstone

1971: The School was completely established in Maidstone as the Ecole Européene d'Ostéopathie

1974: The School opened its full - time English speaking course, which established its own separate identity, with the incorporation of a company limited by guarantee: the Osteopathic Education and Research Limited, registered as a Charity and trading as the European School of Osteopathy

1981: The School moved away from the Maidstone Osteopathic Clinic into newly purchased premises which became the new teaching and clinic location. The new premises were opened by John E Upledger, D.O., then Professor at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine 1982. The full - time course was successfully inspected and accredited by the General Council & Register of Osteopaths (est. 1936). The ESO was the 2nd School following the British School of Osteopathy to be accredited by the then GCRO (which in 1998 became the General Osteopathic Council, the UK Governing Body of Osteopathy)

1986: The French speaking part - time course, which had continued existing as the Ecole Européene d'Ostéopathie was transferred back to France and officially opened as the Collège International d'Ostéopathie in St Etienne by Thomas G Dummer and Jean Pierre Barral.

1993: The School validated its full - time undergraduate programme with a BSc through the University of Wales

1994: The School validated a part - time MSc Osteopathy Programme with the University of Greenwich

2000: The School received Recognised Qualification (RQ) status from the Governing Body of Osteopathy in the United Kingdom, the General Osteopathic Council. The RQ Status was renewed in 2003

2002: The School validated a full - time MSc Osteopathy Programme (post - graduate) with the University of Wales

2006: The School validated both its full - time undergraduate programme (BSc) and the part - time MSc Osteopathy programme with the University of Greenwich.

Philosophy of Osteopathy at the ESO

The tradition of osteopathic philosophy and practice has been preserved through the Art, Science and Philosophy of Osteopathy promoted and taught by the School:

"Andrew T Still founded the first school of Osteopathy in 1892 at Kirksville, Missouri, United States. Associated with him at that time were two of the greatest names in Osteopathy, Carl P McConnell and John Martin Littlejohn. Later and into the 20th century came other pioneers, including Ashmore, Beckwith, Burns, Becker, Downing, Fryette, Halladay, Hall, Haycock, Hazzard, Hoover, McCole, Page, Sutherland, Tasker and Wernham"

"The osteopathic teaching at the School is oriented to the practical philosophies of all the afore - mentioned pioneers, with particular emphasis on the basic principles laid down by Andrew T Still himself and J. Martin Littlejohn".

Next to preserving tradition, the ethos of the School has always encouraged students and faculty to take part in the ever changing and expanding concept of Osteopathy: "

Although students are expected to accept fundamental principles and to apply their studies accordingly they are, nevertheless, encouraged to think originally and thus express their ideas in an atmosphere of academic freedom - in the best educational tradition"

"In an expanding and developing profession like osteopathy we feel it is important to be flexible and open to new developments".

The eclectic osteopathic view taught at the School is a result of the above mentioned ethos and the efforts undertaken by individuals. Several faculty members (Thomas E Hall, Willis Haycock and Keith Blagrave) in the 1960s and 1970s studied directly with John Martin Littlejohn, who in turn was a student of Andrew T Still. Thomas E Hall was also a close associate with Harrison H Fryette D.O. (California) and Gorham C Beckwith D.O. (Chicago). Willis Haycock was also a member of the Continental Round Table (of the New England study group of Osteopathy) with Harold V Hoover D.O. and Charles Bowles D.O., which resulted in 'Functional Techniques' being included in the School's curricula.

In the mid - 1970s, faculty members of the School, Harold Klug and Robert Lever, were instrumental in founding the Society of Osteopaths, whose mission was to embrace the expanding concept of osteopathy.This resulted in extensive communication, exchanges and courses with many respected DOs: R McFarlane Tilley, Charles Bowles, William L Johnstone, Lawrence H Jones, and Fred L Mitchell Jr. These all had, directly or indirectly, an influence on the curriculum at the School.

The French side of the School was also very active in the 1970s. Many well-known authors and teachers graduated from the ESO: Ange Castejon, Jean Pierre Amigues, Jean Pierre Barral, Paul Chaffour, Alain Abehsera, Serge Paoletti, Jean Burnotte, Pierre Delanouis, Dominique Triana, Louis Rommeveaux and Franz Buset. Many of them have been instrumental in developing various osteopathic approaches such as 'visceral manipulation' and 'mechanical link', and devoted much time to the study of and writing on osteopathy, occlusion, posture and osteopathic approaches to the fascias.

By 1982 the curriculum at the School included General Osteopathic Treatment (Littlejohn / Wernham), Specific Adjusting Techniques (Bradbury / Dummer), Soft - Tissue Techniques, Articulatory Techniques, High Velocity Low Amplitude Thrust Techniques, Functional Techniques, Muscle Energy Techniques, Neuro - Muscular Techniques (Lief), Ventral Techniques, Lymphatic Techniques, Visceral Manipulation (with Chapman's Reflexes), and Osteopathy in the Cranial Field. A few years later Balanced Ligamentous Tension was added on to the ESO armamentarium.

These approaches have always been integrated into a thorough understanding of the osteopathic principles, the concept of the somatic dysfunction and the 'total osteopathic lesion'. The 'total osteopathic lesion' first expressed by AT Still in his definition of Osteopathy as the "law of mind, matter and motion" (1897), is still preserved in the teachings at the ESO, both in tradition and translated into its "modern" equivalent, the bio-psycho-social model.