Abstract
Through a combination of recorded conversations, published speeches, and correspondence, insights are gained into some perspectives of William Rush Dunton, Jr., MD (1868–1966), one of the founders of the occupational therapy movement. His views on the spirit of research and the differentiation of occupational therapy and physical therapy are offered. His personal feelings about some of his contemporaries – Adolf Meyer, Eleanor Clarke Slagle, and George Edward Barton – are also related. The events leading to the creation of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy in 1917, the forerunner of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., are detailed.