Daniel
David Palmer (1845–1913; also known as D.D. Palmer) is considered the
“father” of chiropractic. He came to the United States from Port Perry,
Ontario, Canada, in 1865. His formulation of chiropractic practice and theory
purportedly developed from his application of a manual thrust, which he called
an adjustment. Palmer was the first to claim use of the spinous and transverse
processes of the vertebrae as levers for manual adjustment of the spine—in
effect, short lever contacts. This constituted the initiation of chiropractic
as an art, a science, and a profession.
Palmer developed the concept of a “subluxation” as
a causal factor in disease, through the pressure such “displacements” would
cause to nerve roots.
Within 2 years of the initial discovery, Palmer had started the Chiropractic
School and Cure and soon had his first student. By the year 1902, Palmer’s son,
Bartlett Joshua (usually referred to as B.J.), had enrolled in his father’s
school and 2 years later had gained operational control of the institution,
becoming president in 1907. He maintained this post until his death in 1961.
