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Most cultures practicing medicine have some ancient writings dealing with the spine and its effects on the body. One of the earliest indications of soft tissue manipulation is demonstrated by the ancient Chinese Kong Fou Document written about 2700 BCE. The Greeks also recorded their successes in lower back treatments. Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, was a natural healer, stressing diet, exercise, natural remedies, and spinal adjustments as a means of curing diseases and maintaining health. He wrote: "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases." Another famous Greek Physician, Claudius Galen, wrote early in the second century "Look to the nervous system as the key to maximum health." Galen was made famous for treating a Roman scholar named Eudemus. Galen adjusted Eudemus' neck which apparently cured a paralysis of the scholar's hand and arm. The modern history of chiropractic began, on September 18, 1895. It took place in the small office of Dr. Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer, a teacher and magnetic healer. His patient, Harvey Lillard, was a janitor working in the same building as Dr. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. 17 years earlier Mr. Lillard had been bent over under the stairs, hurt his back and had complained of hearing problems as a result. Dr. Palmer discovered a "lump" on Mr. Lillard's back and suspected that a vertebra might be out of "alignment" and "pinching" a nerve going to Mr. Lillard's ears. Dr. Palmer adjusted the vertebra with a gentle thrust. Lillard was excited to hear noises from the street below. After several such treatments, much of Mr. Lillard's hearing was completely restored. At first Dr. Palmer thought that he had discovered a cure for deafness. Shortly after this he had a case of heart trouble which was not improving. He examined the spine and found a displaced vertebra pressing against the nerves which innervated the heart. He adjusted the vertebra and gave immediate relief. Then he began to reason if two diseases, so dissimilar as deafness and heart trouble, came from pressure on the nerves, were not other diseases due to similar causes? Palmer theorized that decrease nerve flow may be the cause of human ailments, and that misplaced spinal vertebrae may cause pressure on the nerves. He reasoned if the spinal column was correctly positioned, the body would be healthy. Individuals with all kinds of health problems were responding to Palmer's new "hand treatments" - those with asthma, skin conditions, digestive problems, headaches, epilepsy, sciatica...the list went on and on. Dr. Palmer realized that he had discovered something more far-reaching indeed. One of Dr. Palmer's patients, a minister, is credited with creating the name "Chiropractic" for this new art and science of manipulation. He took the Greek words for "hand" (cheiros) and "done by" (praktos) and put them together to create Chiropractic, meaning "done by hand". David Daniel Palmer opened the first chiropractic school in 1897. By 1902, 15 people had graduated from the Palmer Infirmary and Chiropractic Institute, which was renamed the Palmer School of Chiropractic (PSC) in 1907. One of these graduates was Palmer's son, Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer, who would become as memorable a figure in chiropractic history as his father. Chiropractors, just as early medical doctors, were not licensed by the government. A Chiropractor simply opened a practice after graduating from chiropractic school. By that time, however, medical doctors were required to have licenses. This discrepancy caused continual problems for chiropractors throughout the first half of the 20th century. Hundreds of chiropractors, including D.D. Palmer, were convicted of practicing medicine without a license. D.D. Palmer was released after serving 23 days of a 105-day sentence, and paying a $350 fine. In 1907 In a landmark Wisconsin case, a Judge and jury found Shegataro Morikubo, D.C., a graduate of the Palmer School of Chiropractic, innocent of practicing medicine, surgery and osteopathy without a license. The Judge and jury said that Morikubo was not practicing medicine, surgery or osteopathy; he was practicing chiropractic. In 1910, B.J. Palmer introduced the use of X-rays to PSC, and in 1924, he introduced the neurocalometer, which was intended to reveal more scientifically the location of out-of-position spinal bones. As a result of better education and technology, chiropractic began to gain greater acceptance. Individual states started recognizing chiropractors. In 1913, Kansas was the first state to legislate the licensing of chiropractors, and by 1927, 39 states had followed suit. In 1941, John Nugent, DC, director of education for the National Chiropractic Association, established the first criteria to accredit chiropractic colleges and schools. Twelve schools were accredited that year. Nugent's stringent standards transformed chiropractic schools into professional, non-profit organizations; he helped set the standard of quality that chiropractic education has today. In 1944 Congress passed the G.I. Bill, which in part, made benefits available to World War II veterans who planned to study chiropractic. The '50s and '60s heralded increased amounts of research, licensure, legislation and professional journals relating to chiropractic, which continued to advance the profession. For instance, in 1963, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners required that chiropractic graduates pass a nationally uniform exam before they began practicing. In the 1960s U.S. Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) was formed which gained formal recognition from the U.S. Office of Education in 1974. The CCE and its affiliates provide an international accrediting agency for chiropractic education, specifying uniform minimum educational standards. Today, major chiropractic colleges exist in New York, Illinois, Iowa, California, Texas, to name a few. Educational institutes are also located around the globe, in areas such as Canada, England and Australia. As advances in science occur, the various curriculums for chiropractic education also advances. In July 1995, the first of the two Historic Centennial Celebrations took take place in Washington, DC. A full slate of meetings, seminars and events left everyone in attendance very proud to be a member of this profession. In September 1995, the second of these Celebrations occurred in Davenport, Iowa. Also in 1995, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp to honor the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, the 100th anniversary of the chiropractic profession and the 150th anniversary of the birth of D.D. Palmer. This is by no means a "complete" history of chiropractic. The chiropractic profession had many ups and downs during its development in the 20th century. However, as we move into the 21st century the practice of Chiropractic looks forward to creating many healthy clients.
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