09/19/2025
Happy Birthday, Chiropractic!
On September 18, 1895, a deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard had his hearing restored after he received the first chiropractic adjustment by Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer.
Here are the events as described by Palmer:
“Harvey Lillard, a janitor, in the Ryan Block, where I had my office, had been so deaf for 17 years that he could not hear the racket of a wagon on the street or the ticking of a watch. I made inquiry as to the cause of his deafness and was informed that when he was exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, he felt something give way in his back and immediately became deaf. An examination showed a vertebra racked from its normal position. I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man’s hearing should be restored. With this object in view, a half‑hour’s talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever and soon the man could hear as before. There was nothing ‘accidental’ about this, as it was accomplished with an object in view, and the result expected was obtained. There was nothing ‘crude’ about this adjustment; it was specific,…”
At first, D.D. thought he had stumbled upon the cure for deafness. News traveled quickly about Harvey Lillard’s miraculous recovery, and deaf individuals came from all around to be “cured.” However, not everyone who was deaf had their hearing restored. Instead, they reported recovery of other maladies that were plaguing them: dysentery, colds, flu, heart issues, digestive disorders, etc… This is when D.D. knew he had stumbled onto something great. He had discovered the “cure” for the cause of all dis-ease and a method to improve the human condition.
Within a few years, D.D. Palmer started the Palmer School of Chiropractic, the first chiropractic school, located in Davenport, Iowa. One of the first graduates of the school was his son, Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer. D.D. is known as the founder of chiropractic, and B.J. is known as the developer of chiropractic. B.J., a progressive thinker, had a huge vision for chiropractic and its potential to help people, communities, and entire nations.
