Andrew T. Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine, reveals how he matured into a medical pioneer from humble beginnings in the rural frontier of the United States. Beginning with his upbringing in rural Missouri, we witness how Still became accustomed to practicality at a young age. At the time he was a boy in the 1840s, the area he and his family lived in was barely settled - many basic public amenities such as hospitals and schools simply did not exist. Still's father became the local doctor, and would introduce his son to the medicine. The outbreak of the American Civil War in the 1860s disrupted the young Still's apprenticeship in medicine and surgery, although he gained valuable experience treating sick and wounded soldiers as a hospital steward. During and after the war, Still was astonished at how ineffectual so many medical techniques were - this, coupled with researches and a further course in medicine, spurred him to create the science of osteopathy.

The current health situation has been described as chaotic and devastating. Humanity's trust in the future and in its human capacity to overcome a disaster of such magnitude is even starting to wither away. If science still lacks a response to the pandemic, can the humanities offer something to cope with this situation? The world can adopt a historical perspective and realize that this is not the first time a global pandemic has struck. Issues including illness, suffering, endurance, resilience, human survival, etc. have been dealt with by literature, philosophy, psychology, and sociology throughout the ages and should be explored once again in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Handbook of Research on Historical Pandemic Analysis and the Social Implications of COVID-19 explores the issue of disease from a variety of philosophical, legal, historical, and social perspectives to offer both comprehension and consolation to the human psyche. This group of scholars within the fields of education, psychology, linguistics, history, and philosophy provides a comprehensive view of the humanities as it relates to the pandemic within the frame of human reaction to pain and calamity. This book also looks at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on society in a multidisciplinary capacity that examines its effects in education, government, business, and more. Covering topics such as public health legislation, sociology, impacts on women, and population genetics, this book is essential for sociologists, psychologists, communications experts, historians, researchers, students, and academicians.