The History of Chiropractors

Dr. D.D. Palmer

The chiropractic profession celebrated it's 100th birthday in 1995. This was a significant milestone considering the many obstacles the profession has faced in the past one hundred years.

The founding father of chiropractic was D.D. Palmer. A Canadian-born teacher, Dr. Palmer recorded the first chiropractic adjustment on September 18, 1995. He was studying the cause and effect of disease at that time. His patient was Harvey Lillard, a janitor working in the same building as Dr. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. Harvey Lillard,  who had complained of hearing problems for over 17 years, allowed Dr. Palmer to examine his spine. Dr. Palmer discovered a "lump" on Mr. Lillard's back and suspected that a vertebra might be out of place. With an admittedly crude technique, Dr. Palmer repositioned the vertebra with a gentle thrust. After several treatments, much of Mr. Lillard's hearing was restored.

This dramatic beginning caused much excitement, and soon exaggerated claims surfaced from activists and chiropractic zealots. Even Dr. Palmer himself thought at first that he had discovered a cure for deafness. As these "miracle" stories became common place, the controversy surrounding chiropractic care began. Because chiropractic challenged the traditional medical concept of health at the time, a campaign was begun to discredit and eliminate the profession. This campaign is in some respects still alive today. One of Dr. Palmer's patients, a minister, is credited with attaching the name "chiropractic" to the art and science of manipulation. He took the Greek words for "hands" (cheiros) and "done by" (pracktos) and put them together to spell chiropractic, meaning "done by the hand".

Dr. B.J. Palmer

Chiropractic healing grew in popularity over the next fifty years, some say due to the relentlessness of Dr D.D. Palmer's Son, B.J. Palmer. He owned several radio stations and is credited with the
term broadcasting. His first station was WOC (Wonders of chiropractic). In 1928 he purchased WHO (With Hands Only) in  Des Moines. Dr. B.J. Palmer helped build Palmer college in Davenport, Iowa with his father, into one of the largest chiropractic colleges in the United States. His involvement saved the school both financially and in respect. He helped build the school to the prominence necessary to have it and chiropractic accepted by the public and legislators. Unlike his fathers ruff and tuff approach to pushing the profession on the public, B.J. Palmer played the politician, slowly and methodically working his way into the "system". His patients included U.S Presidents and business leaders from all over the world. Ronald Reagan, Houdini, Herbert Hoover, Jack Dempsey and Harry Truman were guests in his home.

His college grew from 24 students in 1906 to 3,100 in 1923. Today, there are over 25 chiropractic institutions throughout the world and at any given time more then 10,000 students.

B.J. Palmer died in 1961, after insuring the success of chiropractic and dominance in the non-medicated health care field.
 

Chiropractors Good or Bad?

"The greatest discovery of any generation
is that human beings can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds." 
-Albert Schweitzer