Uniting a shared history: Bringing osteopathic and evolutionary medicine (back) together

Throughout its history, osteopathic medicine has struggled to define its professional identity and distinguish itself from its allopathic counterpart. In this paper, we suggest that osteopathic medicine has an opportunity to define its unique professional identity by embracing the emerging science of evolutionary medicine. We outline the similarities between osteopathic and evolutionary medicine and highlight their shared history. We further emphasize how aspects of evolutionary medicine align with core osteopathic principles and philosophy. We conclude by suggesting ways in which evolutionary medicine concepts can be incorporated into the osteopathic medical curriculum.