Research in Support of the Cranial Concept

William Garner Sutherland, DO, the originator of the cranial concept, held that Andrew Taylor Still was really the source for the cranial concept, and that he merely extended Still’s concepts to the cranial structures.1,2 Sutherland, like Still, based his concepts on systematic observation integrated with the published science of the times typical of the scientific endeavor of the early 1900s. Since the time that Sutherland introduced his concepts to the osteopathic profession through the present day, those who practice osteopathy in the cranial field (OCF) have conducted research on the nature of this work. This discussion is based on that research.