Classical Osteopathy Bookshop

Classical Osteopathy Bookshop

John Wernham was a student at the British School of Osteopathy in the 1930s;  Dr. Littlejohn became his close friend and mentor.

For 70 years John Wernham studied the work of J. M. Littlejohn, lectured and practised in accordance with his teaching, and produced a considerable library of textbooks on the Principles, Technique and Practice of Osteopathy as they were laid down by Dr. J. M. Littlejohn.

The majority of the Littlejohn texts have been prepared from Lecture Notes delivered at the British School of Osteopathy in the 1930s.

To quote John Wernham:

“The lectures are reproduced as they were given between 1930 and 1934, a period which may be most properly regarded as the apotheosis of a life devoted to learning, to research and to the development of osteopathic philosophy and practice.

“In these Lecture Notes we have bequeathed to us a coverage of osteopathic investigation into the problems of health and disease that is profound, erudite and unique in content and presentation.          
(John Wernham Maidstone 1995)

Dr. J. M. Littlejohn’s Lecture Notes are held in the John Wernham College of Classical Osteopathy Library and Archive, Maidstone (UK).

John Wernham began to reproduce the Classical Osteopathic texts in the early 1950s, a time when they were not readily available in the UK.  One of the first to be printed was “Osteopathy–Research and Practice” by A. T. Still, and “Dr. J. M. Littlejohn’s Lectures on the Fundamentals of Osteopathic Practice” by John Wernham, both key textbooks for the osteopathic student.

John Wernham put in countless hours in the preparation of these textbooks, graduating from a manual typewriter to an electrical typewriter, and then to computer.  He would work at the texts in between patients, and since his patient list was always full this did not leave much time for writing! The printing, collating, binding and trimming was all done by hand.  In fact, he much enjoyed this creative work, found it relaxing, and took pride in the end product, particularly as it meant the propagation of Littlejohn’s work for the benefit of osteopathic students and patients.

It is an incredible achievement, and without his dedication and perseverance it is doubtful whether these valuable texts would be in existence today.  The JWCCO is proud to honour and continue his legacy.

 

Classical Osteopathy Bookshop