Louisa Burns ( 1869–1958) was an American osteopathic physician and researcher in

osteopathic medicine Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

Education

Burns was born in Indiana in 1869. She earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in 1892 from the

Borden Institute The Borden Institute is a U.S. Army “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education”. In 1987, U.S. Army Colonel Russ Zajtchuk conceived the idea for a “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education,” u ...

https://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/med-ed-presentations/history-of-osteopathic-research-ecop-spring-2011-published-abbreviated.pdf and subsequently became a school teacher. Her interest in

developed after she contracted a debilitating case of spinal meningitis, whose disabling effects were successfully reversed by osteopathic treatment. She went on to receive an osteopathic medicine degree from the Pacific College of Osteopathy in 1903. She then went on to earn a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from the

and a

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree from the Pacific College of Osteopathy.

Career

Burns was a prominent researcher in the field of osteopathic medicine in the early 1900s. Her research focused on viscerosomatic reflexes. Using rabbits and other organisms, she studied "osteopathic lesions", assisting in the development of today's understanding of somatic dysfunction. She headed the

A.T. Still Research Institute AT or at may refer to: Geography Austria * Austria (ISO 2-letter country code) * .at, Internet country code top-level domain United States * Atchison County, Kansas (county code) * The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), a 2,180+ mile long mountaino ...

from 1917–1935. Burns retired in 1957 and died in 1958 in California.

Legacy

Louisa Burns has a house named after her at

Touro University Nevada Touro University Nevada (TUN) is a private university in Henderson, Nevada. It is part of the Touro College and University System. Touro University Nevada is a branch campus of its sister campus Touro University California. History Touro Univer ...

College of Medicine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Louisa 1869 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American physicians American osteopathic physicians Physicians from Indiana 20th-century American women physicians University of California, Irvine alumni