Why Littlejohn?

John Martin Littlejohn was born in Scotland and raised in Northern Ireland. Working as a Presbyterian Minister in the 1870s, he fell ill and was told he had six months to live. He moved to the USA, as he was told he might live a little longer in a dry climate. While there, he heard of a new discipline emerging known as 'Osteopathy' and met Andrew Taylor Still, its founder who successfully treated his condition.

John Martin Littlejohn was so impressed with the treatment he received that he studied to become an Osteopath. He became Dean of the first College of Osteopathy and was a founder of the Chicago School of Osteopathy. He later returned to Europe and set up the British School of Osteopathy, proving beyond doubt that his original doctor's prognosis was wrong.

John Wernham became a student of J.M. Littlejohn's in the thirties and has been influential in keeping the spirit of Littlejohn alive in Osteopathy. In 1999 he graciously made a donation, matching the generosity of local people to help fund the initial set up of the Littlejohn Centre.

As well as explaining how the centre got its name, Littlejohn's story is a dramatic example of how much can be achieved by looking for root causes and alternative solutions to illness. His return to health resulted from an emphasis on the patient-practitioner-nature partnership and the application of 'self care'. This way of thinking is central to our way of working at The Littlejohn Centre.	Image courtesy of BBC news archive
John Wernham working at age 99