The Wilson family secures a Mark Twain letter for the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine
Posted: September 29, 2025
On ATSU’s campus in Kirksville, Missouri, where osteopathic medicine first took root, stories of visionary people and bold ideas still echo through the halls. One of these stories connects the worlds of literature and osteopathic medicine and highlights a friendship with the famous American writer and humorist, Mark Twain. Thanks to the generosity of the Wilson family – alumni of the original school of osteopathic medicine founded by A.T. Still, DO – a letter written by Mark Twain to Dr. Still now has a permanent home at the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine.
Twain, a pen name for Samuel Clemens, is well known for his writing as well as his wit. However, he may not be as well known for his family’s persistent health problems and his critical comments of the medical establishment. Much like Dr. Still, Twain lost several family members to disease throughout his life. He also had his own health issues, which he said were treated unsuccessfully by allopathic physicians.
During Twain’s worldwide lecture tour in the late 1890s, his youngest daughter, Jean, developed epilepsy. The family, desperate to not lose another child, traveled throughout Europe to find an effective treatment. They ended up in Sweden and stayed for a few months under the care of Heinrick Kellgren, whose methods were similar to osteopathy. Because of how well the treatments benefited Jean, Twain became enthusiastic about osteopathic medicine and, through his writing, urged everyone to try it.
About a year later, in 1900, Twain wrote a letter to Dr. Still asking him to admit a young Swede who had studied under Kellgren for four years and wanted to earn an osteopathic degree to practice in the U.S. An excerpt from the letter reads as follows:
… Wherefore I will repeat the questions that were asked in the letter, & will also try to see that my letter reaches your hands:
1. When does your school-year begin?
2. What are the tuition-expenses?
3. What is about the usual cost of living, in the town – for a young man?
The young man is a Swede; is of fine character & capacities; has studied & worked four years with Kellgren; and (under Kellgren) is now head of the establishment. While the principles underlying your system & Kellgren’s are the same, there are differences in the application of them: Wherefore this gentleman wishes to take your course & acquire your diploma as his purpose is to practice in America.
Very truly yours,
Mark Twain
At the time the letter was sent, the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) was a private institution owned by the Still family, and the letter belonged to them rather than the institution. After the School became a nonprofit, the Still family donated many personal items to the museum, but this letter was one item they wanted to keep. When the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine came across the opportunity to obtain the letter, the Wilson family saw it not only as a rare piece of history but also as a way to give back to their profession and community.
The Wilson family members who contributed to the donation were Michael Wilson, DO, ’72; Philip Wilson II, DO, ’78; Wanda Wilson, DO, ’77; Philip Wilson III, DO, ’13; Christine Wilson, DO, ’14; and Margaret Wilson, DO, ’82, who is also dean and professor of the founding school, known today as ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Our family was delighted to be able to help bring this remarkable letter to the museum and highlight the relationship between Mark Twain and Dr. Still,” Dr. Margaret Wilson says. “To have the connection between a historic Missouri author and our profession preserved locally is significant.”
The Wilson family was a natural fit for such a donation. Hailing from Kirksville, not far from Mark Twain’s hometown, the family spans generations of osteopathic physicians. In addition, the family’s matriarch was an educator and taught literature, Twain being one of her favorite authors. When the family donated the letter to the museum, they did so in her name, Jeanne Daily Wilson.
“It has special meaning as my mother taught the works of Samuel Clemens for many years and we were all avid readers of his stories,” Dr. Margaret Wilson says.
“It was very generous of the Wilson family to want to do this,” says Jason Haxton, MA, director, Museum of Osteopathic Medicine. “Some of the best pieces of our collection, like this letter, come as a result of our alumni stepping forward and helping us secure these artifacts.”
Now at the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine, the letter stands as a symbol of two intertwined legacies: Twain’s literary voice and Dr. Still’s osteopathic approach to health. Although Twain had hoped the young man he referenced in the letter would eventually become his family’s physician, the museum has no record of him ever attending ASO. This letter does, however, provide another piece of evidence indicating Dr. Still and Twain were friends and corresponded with each other on several occasions. Furthermore, it represents Twain’s favorable opinion of osteopathic medicine and his support for the growing profession.
Twain’s legacy as a supporter of osteopathic medicine was cemented in history in 1901 when he successfully advocated on behalf of the profession to the New York legislature to license osteopathic physicians in the state. Dr. Still’s son, Charles E. Still, DO, 1894, who was at the event, chronicled
Twain’s speech.
In his speech, Twain said, “I have experimented with osteopathy and allopathy. I like osteopathy. It is quicker and you don’t have to take any medicine; so I want liberty to do as I choose with my physical body and experiment as much as possible.”