Daniel David Palmer
Daniel David Palmer, commonly known as D. D. Palmer, was a pivotal figure in the establishment of chiropractic care in the late 19th century. Born in Canada and migrating to the United States at the age of 20, he engaged in various professions, including teaching and beekeeping, before focusing on magnetic healing. Palmer gained attention after reportedly restoring a man's hearing through what he believed to be the manipulation of misaligned vertebrae, leading him to theorize that subluxations were the primary cause of most diseases. His beliefs extended beyond physical ailments, as he claimed chiropractic care could address intellectual abnormalities as well.
In 1897, Palmer founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic, where he sought to teach his methods, although his lack of formal medical training led to legal challenges, including prosecution for practicing medicine without a license. Throughout his life, he also established several other chiropractic schools across the United States. Palmer viewed chiropractic as having a spiritual dimension, suggesting it was inspired by a higher power, which drew both interest and criticism. He passed away in 1913, with typhoid fever recorded as the cause of death. His legacy continues through the Palmer School, which remains operational today.
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Daniel David Palmer
Founder of Chiropractic
- Born: March 7, 1845
- Birthplace: Pickering, Canada West
- Died: October 20, 1913
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Identification: Canadian-born magnetic healer who founded the field of chiropractic medicine
Overview
Daniel David (D. D.) Palmer was a magnetic healer who founded the chiropractic field in the 1890s. He had moved to the United States when he was twenty years of age, and during his early years he worked as a teacher, beekeeper, and grocery store owner. He had no formal medical training but had long been interested in magnetic healing, spirituality, and other health philosophies.
While working as a magnetic healer in Iowa, Palmer was said to have restored a man’s compromised hearing. Palmer noticed a lump in the man’s back and speculated that it was responsible for the man’s hearing problem. He reportedly treated the man with self-developed chiropractic methods, restoring the man’s hearing. Palmer postulated that “a subluxated (misaligned) vertebra [was] the cause of 95 percent of all diseases” and that “the other 5 percent [were] caused by displaced joints other than those of the vertebral column.” He claimed that chiropractic-based methods served to restore normal nerve flow by realigning a person’s spinal vertebrae or other joints; this alignment would restore the person’s health. He also claimed that chiropractic medicine could overcome “intellectual abnormalities,” stating that “Chiropractors correct abnormalities of the intellect as well as those of the body.”
Palmer eventually founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1897. However, in 1906, he was prosecuted in Iowa for practicing medicine without a license (he had never attended medical school) and was briefly jailed for this offense. Soon after, Palmer’s son, B. J. Palmer, bought and took over administration of the school, although B. J. went on to sell the school some years later. D. D. Palmer went on to establish other chiropractic schools in California, Oregon, and Oklahoma in subsequent years.
D. D. Palmer regarded chiropractic as partly religious in nature. At one time, he stated that he had “received chiropractic from the other world.” Some reports suggest he credited his previous spiritual leader and teacher, possibly receiving “inspiration” from him posthumously. Palmer may have stated at one point that, as the founder of chiropractic, he was like persons who have founded religions. Because of such statements, Palmer has had many critics.
Palmer died in 1913; according to official records, he died of typhoid fever. The school that D. D. Palmer founded in Iowa has survived to date.
Bibliography
Ernst, E. “Chiropractic: A Critical Evaluation.” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 35, no. 5 (2008): 544-562.
Frigard, L. Ted. “Still Versus Palmer: A Remembrance of the Famous Debate.” Dynamic Chiropractic 21, issue 3 (January 27, 2003).