Daniel David Palmer: World’s first chiropractor

Daniel David Palmer is regarded as the father of chiropractic. For the uninitiated, chiropractic is a medical system that believes that the source of all our ailments originate lie in our nerves. In other words, any disruption in the normal functioning of our nerves can make us ill. Further, these nerves are closely connected to the vertebrae of our spine, and therefore, any sort of displacement of these vertebrae can leads to a disruption in the normal functioning of our nerves. Going by the same logic, a disease can be cured, if the displaced vertebrae are readjusted. Individuals who specialize in readjusting the displaced vertebrae are called chiropractors. Therefore, it can be said that Daniel David Palmer, the person who first propounded and practiced the principles of chiropractic way back in 1897, was the world’s first chiropractic.

Palmer was originally from Canada. At the age of 20 he moved to United States. He tried his hands at various businesses and was quite successful. Apart from his business interests, Palmer had a deep-rooted interest in various health systems. He was a keen reader of medical books and journals, and over a period of time, was able to gain a lot of knowledge about human anatomy and physiology. Somewhere around the age of 40, Palmer began to work as a magnetic healer. Within a short span of time, he became very successful.

The building where his office was located had a janitorial service owned by a guy called Harvey Lillard, who had been deaf for more than 17 years. Palmer came to know that Lillard lost his hearing following a spinal injury. Upon examining Lillard, Palmer realized that one of his vertebrae was not in its normal position. As soon as Palmer readjusted the displaced vertebrae, Lillard’s hearing was restored. Thus was born the system of chiropractic! During the next couple of years, Palmer did a lot of research in this direction and was able to provide relief to a number of people who were suffering from all kinds of ailments. After initial resistance from some quarters, popularity of Palmer and that of chiropractic increased rapidly.

Palmer passed away in 1913, leaving behind a rich legacy and hundreds of followers. Today, Chiropractic has gained acceptance across the globe. Its principles have been corroborated by modern science. Thousands of chiropractors are engaged in providing relief and succor to mankind.