History of Chiropractic
Many chiropractic patients ask, "How did chiropractic get started?" Well, Chiropractic got started
in Davenport Iowa a little over 100 years ago. In 1895 a "magnetic healer" as he was called, by
the name of DD Palmer operated an office on the corner of Second and Brady street in downtown
Davenport. Dr. Palmer, as he was known, noticed on that day the janitor who worked in his building
was nearly totally deaf.
This janitor was a black gentleman by the name of Harvey Lillard. Upon questioning, (probably very
loud questioning) Harvey explained to Dr. Palmer that he had lost most of his hearing 17 years earlier
when he was bending over and felt a "pop" in his upper back or neck. Dr. Palmer examined the area
and noticed a bump which he determined to be a spinal vertebrae out of position. It seemed that Harvey
noticed this bump right after he lost his hearing. Having a knowledge of anatomy, Dr. Palmer convinced
Harvey to allow him to try to fix it by pushing the bone back into place.
History is uncertain as to whether it was one visit or several, but the result was Harvey got his hearing back!
From that point DD Palmer changed his practice over to this new method of replacing bones that were out
of position and allowing people to heal. His practice grew and the profession of chiropractic was born.
Within two years Dr. Palmer opened the first school of Chiropractic on Brady Street in Davenport. It was his
son Dr. BJ Palmer, who continued the school after the death of DD. It is the son BJ, who is given credit today
for growing and developing the profession into what it has become today.
Throughout the twentieth century, doctors of chiropractic gained legal recognition in all fifty states. A continuing
recognition and respect for the chiropractic profession in the United States has led to growing support for
chiropractic care all over the world. The research that has emerged from " around the world" has yielded
incredibly influential results, which have changed, shaped and molded perceptions of chiropractic care.
The report, Chiropractic in New Zealand published in 1979 strongly supported the efficacy of chiropractic
care and elicited medical cooperation in conjunction with chiropractic care. The 1993 Manga study published
in Canada investigated the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care. The results of this study concluded that
chiropractic care would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually with regard to work disability payments
and direct health care costs.
Doctors of chiropractic have become pioneers in the field of non-invasive care
promoting science-based approaches to a variety of ailments. A continuing dedication to chiropractic
research could lead to even more discoveries in preventing and combating maladies in future years.
Information provided by Chiropractic Research
and ACA - American Chiropractic Association