Introduction to Chiropractic History

Chiropractic was founded in 1895, but the investigation into the relationship between the spine and the processes of self-sustaining biological life began much earlier.

Ancient Egyptian and Indian hieroglyphics focused on influencing spinal alignment to produce health outcomes through crude adjustments, even back walking.

Even the father of medicine, Hippocrates, recognized the importance of spinal alignment and techniques that influenced healing through the spine. Hippocrates famously said, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”

Hippocrates had a foundation of information about human anatomy and was vocal about the principle of healing being an inside-out process within the body.

The Early Understanding of Healing

Thousands of years ago, understanding of healing forces was rooted in superstition and magic. However, during Hippocrates’ time, the study of anatomy split into two distinct views: vitalism and mechanism.

• Vitalism: A doctrine that living organisms’ functions are due to a vital principle distinct from the laws of physics and chemistry.

• Mechanism: A doctrine that natural processes are determined mechanically and are capable of explanation through physics and chemistry.

In the mid-1500s, health care shifted toward a mechanistic view of health, where the principles of physics and chemistry took precedence over vitalistic beliefs. This movement continued until the early 1800s when the healing arts were still divided between vitalism and mechanism.

Franz Anton Mesmer and Magnetic Healing

Franz Anton Mesmer, a German doctor, studied “animal magnetism,” also known as mesmerism, in an effort to explore interference in vitalistic components of health and well-being. Mesmer believed magnetic forces could be transmitted through the hands, and his research set the stage for the development of chiropractic.

The First Chiropractic Adjustment

The philosophy and science of chiropractic adjustments were born when D.D. Palmer, in Davenport, Iowa, experimented with magnetic healing methods. He worked with Harvey Lillard, a man who had lost his hearing after a fall. Palmer learned that Lillard’s hearing loss was caused by a vertebra being displaced. He decided to try adjusting the vertebra and restore Lillard’s hearing.

D.D. Palmer described the event:
“I made an inquiry as to the cause of his deafness and was informed that when he was exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, he felt something give way in his back and immediately became deaf. An examination showed a vertebra racked from its normal position. I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man’s hearing should be restored. With this object in view, a half hour’s talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever, and soon the man could hear as before.”

Thus, D.D. Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment, and the foundation for the field was laid.

B.J. Palmer and the Development of Chiropractic

While D.D. Palmer founded chiropractic, it was his son, B.J. Palmer, who expanded and developed its philosophy, science, and art. B.J. Palmer emphasized the analysis, location, and facilitation of adjustments to vertebral subluxations caused by interference in the mental impulses traveling through the neurological system.

Chiropractic Today

Today, chiropractic has evolved into a health care discipline that focuses on the innate recuperative power of the body to heal itself. Chiropractors work to identify and care for vertebral subluxations, correcting misalignments in the spine that interfere with the neurological system, which affects overall well-being.

The philosophy, science, and art of chiropractic are proactive approaches that help enhance the body’s inner potential for healing and function.

Chiropractic is beneficial for all ages and all stages of life, from infants to seniors. It is a proactive approach to preserving and restoring well-being by optimizing the structure of the spine and its relationship with the neurological system.