Historical figures in chiropractic

The following individuals are Historic figures in the profession of Chiropractic. Their passing left a void.

B

 * Obie Baizley, DC: Manitoba, Canada, Politician


 * Fred Barge, DC: authored several books on chiropractic, with subject matter ranging from philosophy to practice management. He was elected President of the International Chiropractor's Association in 1988.

G

 * Russell Gibbons, B.A.: historian who wrote many articles on chiropractic and its practitioners. Founder of the journal Chiropractic History.


 * Henri Gillet, DC: practiced in Belgium and developed the Motion Palpation technique of chiropractic in response to the Belgium government making it illegal for chiropractors to take x-rays.


 * Clarence Gonstead, DC: Developer of the Gonstead technique, and the Mt Horeb Clinic.


 * George Goodheart, DC: the developer of "Applied kinesiology", and 1st US Olympic Team DC.

H

 * Gerry E. Hinton, DC: Louisiana Senator


 * Earl Homewood, DC: President of CMCC; wrote "Neurodynamics of Vertebral Subluxation".

I

 * Fred Illi, a Swiss chiropractor who was one of the most prominent pioneer chiropractic researchers of the first half of the 20th century, developing theories on the role of spinal biomechanics in the human body. He also worked along Joseph Janse at National College in Chicago.


 * Teddy Infuhr, DC: a famous child actor


 * William Ivens, DC: Member, Manitoba, Canada Legislature

J

 * Joseph Janse, DC: helped found the independently chartered Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). As President of National College, (now known as National University of Health Sciences, he led the institution to become the first chiropractic college to achieve federally recognized status. He was also a renowned anatomist, and established the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.


 * Bernard Jensen, DC: inventor of the controversial "Iridology".

K

 * Joseph C. Keating, Jr., PhD: (1950–2007) was trained as a clinical psychologist who spent the majority of his life teaching and researching the chiropractic profession. He is best known for his published works as a historian of chiropractic.

L

 * Hugh Logan, DC: founded a chiropractic technique (Logan Basic Technique) based on the theory that continuous pressure on a pelvic ligament with deep sensory reflex adjusts a spinal segment. Was also the founder and first president of the Logan College of Chiropractic.

M

 * Thomas Robert Mason, DC: actor


 * Volney Mathison, DC: inventor

P

 * Bartlett Joshua Palmer, DC: son of D.D. Palmer, B.J. developed chiropractic as a businessman the way his father couldn't . Dr. B.J. Palmer launched his career by assuming the responsibility of the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1904. His contributions included research, improved methods of spinal adjustment and analysis, higher standards for chiropractic education, and increased appreciation for chiropractic worldwide. B.J. progressed chiropractic on many fronts by overcoming legal and legislative obstacles to the licensing of chiropractors and financial challenges to the school. He was often the center of controversy, but well before his death in 1961, chiropractic had secured a place among the health sciences.


 * Daniel David Palmer, DC: the founder of what we currently think of as chiropractic during the end of the 19th century. D.D. reasoned that the body had a natural healing power using information transmitted through the nervous system. In Palmer’s view, if a single organ was not functioning properly, it must not be receiving proper nervous input. This led him to presume that the lack of nervous input was due to spinal misalignment, or vertebral subluxation, and therefore adjusting the vertebrae into proper alignment would correct this problem. D.D. performed his first adjustments in 1895, famously relieving one man of deafness and another individual of heart trouble. He made arrangements to train others in the application of chiropractic principles, founding the Palmer Infirmary and Cure in 1897, leading to the Palmer School of Chiropractic.


 * David D. Palmer, DC: the grandson of chiropractic's founder, assumed the presidency of Palmer School in 1961. An initial step toward accreditation was to change the name of the Palmer School of Chiropractic to Palmer College of Chiropractic. He then modernized the campus by renovating classrooms and installing modern teaching aids. Two other key contributions David made were establishing a non-profit status for Palmer College and organizing the Palmer College of Chiropractic International Alumni Association. After Dr. David's death in 1978, the College received accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.


 * Mabel Heath Palmer, DC: the first woman in Chiropractic, she was a guiding influence in B.J. Palmer's life as his wife, and became a doctor of chiropractic in 1905. A recognized authority on anatomy, and an instructor at the school for more than 30 years, Mabel Palmer was a close and valued adviser to her husband in all phases of the chiropractic profession.


 * Jim Parker, DC: founder of Parker College of Chiropractic in Texas.

R

 * John Lyle Robinson, DC, a member of the Canadian Parliament

W

 * Walter Wardwell, PhD: (1917 – 2005), sociologist and historian. Known for his lifelong interest and research in chiropractic, he wrote a definitive history of the profession, "Chiropractic: History and Evolution of a New Profession", and numerous articles on chiropractic, including "Social Factors in the Survival of Chiropractic: A Comparative View." He also wrote about where the chiropractic profession was headed.


 * Clarence Weiant, DC, PhD: the first DC to also have a PhD (in anthropology). Worked at the Chiropractic Institute of New York (CINY), and published scientifically valid research promoting chiropractic, making him one of chiropractic's most important (and eloquent) spokesmen.


 * John Wolfe, Sr., DC: Palmer College of Chiropractic graduate, who founded Northwestern Health Sciences University on June 2, 1941, an institution including a chiropractic college that includes an intense study of basic sciences. He served as president of the college for more than 40 years.