History of Massage Timeline
3000B.C.: Chinese: Cong- Fu of the TAO-TSE Oldest book written about massage.
2760B.C.: Nei Ching describes therapeutic touch.
2500 B.C.: Egyptians created reflexology.
1800 B.C.: Ayur-Veda (Art of Life) a sacred book of the Hindus that includes massage treatments.
1000 B.C.: Homer wrote about an oily medium used for massage.
776 B.C. Olympic Games. Athletes massaged prior to their events.
604-531 B.C.: The founder of Taoism is believed to be Lao-Tse.
500 B.C.: Herodicus-prescribed gymnastics to heal and was considered to be the father of medical Gymnastics.
460-380 B.C.: Hippocrates was taught by Herodicus. Used friction to treat sprains and dislocations (called anatripsis-Greek for friction). Thought that disease resulted from natural causes and the body has the power to heal itself. Wrote code of ethics that became the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates said: hard rubbing binds…much rubbing causes parts to waste…and moderate rubbing makes them grow.
200 B.C.: The Huangdi Nei Jing (Yellow emperors inner classic) is the earliest surviving canonical text of traditional Chinese medicine. Anmo is referred to in 30 different chapters of the Nei Jing.
100-44 B.C.: Romans. Julius Caesar used Massage therapy to relieve his neuralgia and epileptic seizures.
130 A.D.-201 A.D.: Galen. Physician for the school of gladiators who were rubbed before fighting. Wrote a book on manual medicine.
90 B.C.: Chinese created acupuncture.
25 B.C. – 50 A.D.: Aulus Cornelius Celsius. Roman Physician. Wrote “De Medicina”
100’s A.D.: First schools of massage were developed in China.
228 A.D.-337 A.D.: The Roman Emperor Constantine condemned the baths and gymnasiums as he thought they added to the abuse of sex.
600’s: Japanese developed shiatsu (finger pressure or acupressure), anma is massage in Japanese.
1517-1590:Ambroise Pare, French barber surgeon, raised awareness of the use of massage, classified movements and employed ROM techniques.
1569: Girolamo Mercuriale wrote the first sports medicine book.
1660-1742: Prussia. Fredrich Hoffman, physician to the King of Prussia recommended rubbing and gymnastics for the royal court.
1776-1839: Per Henrik- Swedish physiologist, fencing master and gymnast. Developed a system of Medical Gymnastics. Per Henrik ling is the father of physical therapy.
1839-1909: Johann Mezger of Holland. Brought medical massage to scientific community. Takes the terms effleurage, petrissage and tapotement to massage.
1850s: Scientific massage therapy was introduced in the United States by two New York physicians, brothers George and Charles Taylor, who had studied in Sweden.
1852-1943: John Harvey Kellogg, Battle used massage and hydrotherapy.
1879: Douglas Graham-described lomi lomi and wrote a history of massage. May have been first to use massage in USA.
1884: Massage scandals in Europe. Physicians became skeptical of claims made by massage therapist and accused practitioners of stealing patients.
1887: George Taylor wrote mechanical processes.
1894: Society of Trained Masseuses formed in Britain.
1895: Sigmund Freud used massage therapy to treat hysteria.
1895: Harvey Kellogg—“The Art of Massage.”
1800s: Canadian Deep muscle.
1900s Early: Jin Shin Jyutsu, the “art of circulation awakening,” was developed in Japan by Jiro Murai ad brought to the United States in the 1960s by Mary lino Burmeister.
1913: Dr. William Fitzgerald rediscovered Reflexology and called in “Zone Therapy.”
W.W.1.: Swedish massage used for rehabilitation of injured soldiers.
1927: New York State Society of Medical Massage therapists became the first massage association.
1929: Elizabeth Dicke, German physical therapist created “Bindgewebs massage” or connective tissue massage; Used reflex zones.
1930s: Hospital staffed Physical Therapists who were doing massage.
1930: Neuromuscular Therapy created by Stanley Leif.
1932: Emil Voder, Danish physiologist created “Manual Lymph Drainage.”
1939: The Florida State Massage Therapy Association Inc. was first organized on June 15, 1939 one of the oldest massage organization, with 85 charter members.
1943: American Massage Therapy Association was formed.
1950s: Francis Tappan and Gertrude Beard wrote books and articles on massage techniques.
1960s: Esalen became a center to explore human potential.
1964: Applied Kinesiology was founded by Chiropractor George Goodheart.
1960s Late: John Barnes developed “Myofascial Release Therapy.”
1973: Zero Balancing was developed by Dr. Fritz Smith.
1980s: Watsu (water therapy) was developed by Harold Dull.
1980s: Taws Method (Soft Tissue Release) was developed by Stuart Taws.
1984: Olympics-Sports Massage avail to the athletes for the first time.
1985: Chair Massage was introduced by David Palmer.
1990: National Certification for therapedic massage and bodyworks (NCBTMB) was established.
1992: Touch research institute was in collaboration with the university of Miami Medical School Board.
2760B.C.: Nei Ching describes therapeutic touch.
2500 B.C.: Egyptians created reflexology.
1800 B.C.: Ayur-Veda (Art of Life) a sacred book of the Hindus that includes massage treatments.
1000 B.C.: Homer wrote about an oily medium used for massage.
776 B.C. Olympic Games. Athletes massaged prior to their events.
604-531 B.C.: The founder of Taoism is believed to be Lao-Tse.
500 B.C.: Herodicus-prescribed gymnastics to heal and was considered to be the father of medical Gymnastics.
460-380 B.C.: Hippocrates was taught by Herodicus. Used friction to treat sprains and dislocations (called anatripsis-Greek for friction). Thought that disease resulted from natural causes and the body has the power to heal itself. Wrote code of ethics that became the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates said: hard rubbing binds…much rubbing causes parts to waste…and moderate rubbing makes them grow.
200 B.C.: The Huangdi Nei Jing (Yellow emperors inner classic) is the earliest surviving canonical text of traditional Chinese medicine. Anmo is referred to in 30 different chapters of the Nei Jing.
100-44 B.C.: Romans. Julius Caesar used Massage therapy to relieve his neuralgia and epileptic seizures.
130 A.D.-201 A.D.: Galen. Physician for the school of gladiators who were rubbed before fighting. Wrote a book on manual medicine.
90 B.C.: Chinese created acupuncture.
25 B.C. – 50 A.D.: Aulus Cornelius Celsius. Roman Physician. Wrote “De Medicina”
100’s A.D.: First schools of massage were developed in China.
228 A.D.-337 A.D.: The Roman Emperor Constantine condemned the baths and gymnasiums as he thought they added to the abuse of sex.
600’s: Japanese developed shiatsu (finger pressure or acupressure), anma is massage in Japanese.
1517-1590:Ambroise Pare, French barber surgeon, raised awareness of the use of massage, classified movements and employed ROM techniques.
1569: Girolamo Mercuriale wrote the first sports medicine book.
1660-1742: Prussia. Fredrich Hoffman, physician to the King of Prussia recommended rubbing and gymnastics for the royal court.
1776-1839: Per Henrik- Swedish physiologist, fencing master and gymnast. Developed a system of Medical Gymnastics. Per Henrik ling is the father of physical therapy.
1839-1909: Johann Mezger of Holland. Brought medical massage to scientific community. Takes the terms effleurage, petrissage and tapotement to massage.
1850s: Scientific massage therapy was introduced in the United States by two New York physicians, brothers George and Charles Taylor, who had studied in Sweden.
1852-1943: John Harvey Kellogg, Battle used massage and hydrotherapy.
1879: Douglas Graham-described lomi lomi and wrote a history of massage. May have been first to use massage in USA.
1884: Massage scandals in Europe. Physicians became skeptical of claims made by massage therapist and accused practitioners of stealing patients.
1887: George Taylor wrote mechanical processes.
1894: Society of Trained Masseuses formed in Britain.
1895: Sigmund Freud used massage therapy to treat hysteria.
1895: Harvey Kellogg—“The Art of Massage.”
1800s: Canadian Deep muscle.
1900s Early: Jin Shin Jyutsu, the “art of circulation awakening,” was developed in Japan by Jiro Murai ad brought to the United States in the 1960s by Mary lino Burmeister.
1913: Dr. William Fitzgerald rediscovered Reflexology and called in “Zone Therapy.”
W.W.1.: Swedish massage used for rehabilitation of injured soldiers.
1927: New York State Society of Medical Massage therapists became the first massage association.
1929: Elizabeth Dicke, German physical therapist created “Bindgewebs massage” or connective tissue massage; Used reflex zones.
1930s: Hospital staffed Physical Therapists who were doing massage.
1930: Neuromuscular Therapy created by Stanley Leif.
1932: Emil Voder, Danish physiologist created “Manual Lymph Drainage.”
1939: The Florida State Massage Therapy Association Inc. was first organized on June 15, 1939 one of the oldest massage organization, with 85 charter members.
1943: American Massage Therapy Association was formed.
1950s: Francis Tappan and Gertrude Beard wrote books and articles on massage techniques.
1960s: Esalen became a center to explore human potential.
1964: Applied Kinesiology was founded by Chiropractor George Goodheart.
1960s Late: John Barnes developed “Myofascial Release Therapy.”
1973: Zero Balancing was developed by Dr. Fritz Smith.
1980s: Watsu (water therapy) was developed by Harold Dull.
1980s: Taws Method (Soft Tissue Release) was developed by Stuart Taws.
1984: Olympics-Sports Massage avail to the athletes for the first time.
1985: Chair Massage was introduced by David Palmer.
1990: National Certification for therapedic massage and bodyworks (NCBTMB) was established.
1992: Touch research institute was in collaboration with the university of Miami Medical School Board.