Physicians are drawn to axioms—short statements that become guiding principles. When they express a truth and challenge us to be vigorous in our thinking, they serve us well. 

The teachings of Andrew Taylor Still have served our profession well, but his initial followers and the osteopathic profession as a whole often truncated his writings into pithy phrases to clarify the tenets and principles of the school of medicine that he founded. It helps to consider the statements in the context of his writing and of the medicine of his time. To address the question whether the saying is “still relevant,” we need to apply 2 tests: (1) Does this saying spur us to critical thinking on this topic? and (2) Has his perspective stood the test of time over a century of medical progress?