Biographical Sketch of Dr. J. H. B. Hoefner, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Dr. J. H. B. Hoefner, a prominent osteopath of Warrensburg, Missouri, was born in 1877 in St. Charles county, Missouri. He is the son of Henry and Caroline (Vosz) Hoefner, both of whom are of German descent. Henry Hoefner is the son of Casper Hoefner, who emigrated from Germany to America in 1851 and settled in St. Charles county, Mo., where he purchased a farm, upon which his son, Henry, was reared. Henry Hoefner is now the owner of 420 acres of land in St. Charles county, where he is a successful and influential farmer and stockman. Caroline (Vosz) Hoefner is the daughter of Ernest Vosz, who was of German lineage. Of the children born to Henry and Caroline (Vosz) Hoefner, the following are now living: Arnold, New Melle, Missouri; Fred, New Melle, Missouri; Henry, Franklin, Pennsylvania; Dr. J. H. B., the subject of this review; Victor, Waukegan, Illinios; Edwin, New Melle, Missouri; Mrs. Anna Karrenbrock, New Melle, Missouri; Mrs. Matilda Pierce, Hastings, Nebra- ska; Laura, New Melle, Missouri; and Edna, New Melle, Missouri. J.H.B. Hoefner received his early education in the public schools of St. Charles county, Missouri. He was a student in the Warrensburg State Normal School for three years and later attended the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, of which institution he is a grad- uate of the class of 1903. After completing college, Dr. Hoefner began the practice of osteopathy in Warrensburg, Missouri. His wife, Dr. Lavina Hoefner, who is a graduate of the American School of Osteopathy in the class of 1903, is associated with Dr. J. H. B. Hoefner in the practice of their profession. They were united in marriage in 1903, soon after graduation from college. Osteopathy is a comparatively new scientific treatment for disease. A score of years ago few physicians, whether in private practice or hospitals or just out of medical college considered it necessary to know the conditions of the mouth before pre- scribing drugs for physical illness. Ostephathy has taught truths, which the medical profession lost sight of, but within the last fifteen years has slowly acknowledged. Discredited by the medical profession, by medical journals and medical schools, osteopathy has in 15 years built up a practice of more than 8,000 men, having four years' training including more than 100 physicians with full medical training plus a course in osteopathy. There were means of learning 15 years ago what was truth and what was quackery about the practice of osteopathy, but by refusing to look for the truth and concentrating attention upon the quackery, the medical profession lost 15 years. No appeal can be stronger, no justification more complete, than the following paragraph quoted by William H. Allen, secretary of the Bureau of Municipal Research in his book, "Civics and Health," from an osteopathic physi- cian, having both the medical and osteopathic degrees: " The physical method of treating disease presents a tremendous and significant de- parture from the empiricism of medicine and the experimentation of dietetics, the restricted fields of electricity, suggestion, water cures, and massage. The patient as an individual is not treated; the disease as a disease is not treated; the symptoms are not treated; but the entire physical organism, with its many parts and diverse functions is exhaustively examined until each and every abnormal condition, whether of structure or of function, causing disease and maintaining symptoms, is found and administered to with the skill of a definite art, based upon the data of an exact science." Dr. Hoefner chose this branch of therapeutics as his specialty because he had personally seen so much good accomplished by osteopathy where other methods of treat- ment had failed. The human body is like other machines, when all parts are normal and working harmoniously perfect health follows inevitably and Dr. Hoefner firmly believes no apparatus but the human hand is needed to secure this harmony of the parts of human anatomy. He has been very successful in his chosen profession. He is the owner of a handsome residence in Warrensburg and is a stockholder in the Still- Hildreth Sanitarium at Macon, Missouri and in the Knob Noster Brick & Tile Company. Dr. Hoefner is a worthy member of the Christian church, of which he is a deacon. Politically, he is affiliated with the Demo- cratic party. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================