It’s Sept. 18. Happy Chiropractic Founders Day! The profession we love got its official start on this day 129 years ago.
On Sept. 18, 1895, Daniel David Palmer, better known in the business as D.D. Palmer, performed the first chiropractic adjustment and changed the course of history. His patient — Harvey Lillard, custodian of the Ryan Building in downtown Davenport, Iowa, where Palmer had an office — returned the following day to express his gratitude to Palmer for the relief he felt.
Prior to his history-making treatment that day, writes Louis Sportelli, DC, in his 2019 article “The Discovery, Development and Current Status of the Chiropractic Profession,” Palmer had been a practitioner of what was known as magnetic healing and had a broad knowledge of human anatomy — along with some theories that were very outside-the-box at that time.
“His interest in anatomy led him to consider the effect of minor derangements of the spine (which he called ‘subluxations’) upon the nervous system,” Sportelli wrote. “DD also mused that there was a connection between the nervous system and the regulation of human organ systems. He theorized that manipulation of the spine (which he called spinal adjustments) could have a salutary effect on the body.”
The next generation
“Under the leadership of D.D.’s son, B.J. Palmer, chiropractic expanded into a recognized and respected healthcare profession. B.J. Palmer not only helped build the foundational principles of chiropractic but also advocated for the establishment of chiropractic licensure and education,” they continued. “His efforts ensured that chiropractors would be able to practice with the recognition and respect they deserved, and today, thanks to the ICA and other organizations and individuals like it, chiropractic is recognized as an essential part of healthcare.”
More accolades for chiropractic pioneers
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