Chiropractic Gets Cracking: Iowa Time Machine September 18, 1895

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 18, 1895, Daniel David Palmer of Davenport conducted the first chiropractic adjustment. An avid proponent of various pseudoscientific alternative medicines, including magnetic healing, Palmer came to believe altered nerve flow caused all human diseases and spent his career building an enduring form of alternative medicine.

Born in Ontario, Palmer emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of twenty and settled in Iowa. Through his involvement in various pursuits, including beekeeping, grocery, and teaching, he developed an interest in alternative health philosophies. Palmer opened a magnetic healing clinic in Burlington before eventually moving to Davenport.

According to family legend, Palmer slapped a hard-of-hearing janitor working at his clinic on the back following the punchline of a perfect joke. When the janitor claimed improved hearing in the following days, Palmer began focusing on the potential health benefits of vertebral treatment for healing health issues.

Drawing on Andrew Still’s early osteopathic principles, Palmer developed a range of theories and methods related to spinal realignment and human health. In 1897, he opened the Palmer School of Cure in Davenport, which later became Palmer College of Chiropractic. #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryCalendar