Brief History Of Chiropractic

Chiropractic, in various forms, has its roots going back thousands of years. Many ancient cultures used some form of manipulation of the spine for health purposes. However, modern chiropractic goes back to D.D. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa in 1895.

The first chiropractic patient was Harvey Lillard. Lillard was a janitor who, several years before, had lost most of his hearing from an incident in which he felt a pop in his back. He was examined by Palmer who found a painful bump along the spine.

Palmer reasoned that the bump was a misalignment of the spine. Using his hands, D.D. Palmer thrust on this bump and in a few days Harvey Lillard reported that his hearing improved.

Palmer originally thought he had found a cure for deafness, and treated many for that but without much success in hearing improvement. However, patients reported improvement in several other complaints and symptoms.

From this beginning D.D. Palmer went on to start a school in Davenport, Iowa in 1897. That school eventually became Palmer College of Chiropractic.

The techniques and philosophy of chiropractic were further developed and taught by D.D Palmer’s son, B.J. Palmer.

​Today there are several chiropractic colleges in the United States accredited to give the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) Degree.