Issue 10 - July2004

AHC: Preserving the past

In December 1980 Chiropractic Economics reported the birth of a unique group within the profession. The Association for the History of Chiropractic (AHC) was organized by a dozen friends and members of the chiropractic profession for the expressed purpose of preserving the rich history of this alternative healing group.

Although many in the profession had long spoken of the importance in understanding chiropractors’ historical roots, relatively little had been done up to that point to ensure the legacy would be documented, interpreted and disseminated to future generations and the wider public.

The founders of the AHC met at Spears Hospital in Denver; a historic marker in chiropractic. They recognized a common purpose — to preserve chiropractic history in all its manifestations — and determined that the AHC must be apolitical. The eclectic group included:

• Four lay writers. Four individuals who were not chiropractors were among the founders. They were Eleanor Busch, Fern Dzaman, Russell Gibbons and Vern Gielow.

• Eight chiropractors. The eight chiropractors in the group included founding father William S. Rehm, DC, who had served as editor of his state association magazine. Drs. Earl Homewood, Joseph Maynard and Richard Schafer had each authored books in the chiropractic arena.

Drs. Arthur and Vi Nickson were the founding archivists of the historical collection maintained by the Logan College of Chiropractic. Drs. James Ransom and Richard Schafer were active in national professional affairs, while Drs. Leonard Fay, Earl Homewood, Herbert Lee, Ernest Napolitano and James Russell had long been active in chiropractic education as faculty members, administrators and/or college trustees.

• Diversified backgrounds. The group included chiropractors with diversified philosophical backgrounds who had been associated with a number of different chiropractic colleges: Canadian Memorial, Lincoln, Logan, National, New York, Palmer and Texas.

Focus of the group
The AHC would seek to meet its self-directed mandate by two general strategies: publication of a journal of chiropractic history and sponsorship of an annual Conference on Chiropractic History.

The first conference was held at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. The papers presented at this meeting became the contents of the first issue of the new society’s periodical, Chiropractic History. Subsequent conferences have usually been held on North American chiropractic college campuses, or in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges.

The AHC’s journal, Chiropractic History, is the premier showcase for the history of chiropractic. Founded and edited by Russell Gibbons from 1981 through 1995, the magazine is now published twice annually, and draws papers from diverse international and interdisciplinary sources. However, since 1997 the AHC has expanded its publishing endeavors to include several books:

• B.J. of Davenport: the early years of chiropractic; Keating, J.C., 1997

• A history of chiropractic education in North America: report to the Council on Chiropractic Education; Keating J.C., Callender, A.K., Cleveland, C.S., 1998

• Prairie thunder: Dr. Leo L. Spears and his hospital; Rehm, W.S., 2001

• A profession persecuted: the history of chiropractic in New Jersey; Vernon, L.F., 2002

Membership dues are the primary basis for the association’s financial viability. However, the nonprofit AHC has been the recipient of grants and gifts from NCMIC, the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, Life Chiropractic University and the American Chiropractic Association, among others.

The organization epitomizes the best in cooperative action for a noble purpose: preserving the chiropractic profession’s past.