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By Sarah Hock
Student, Sherman College
Ever since D.D. Palmer founded chiropractic it has been an uphill fight
for the profession against the medical minded people of the world, namely
the A.M.A. for recognition and respect of the profession. After not being
able to prevent the practice of chiropractors in many states, by the
passing of laws allowing chiropractors to practice, the A.M.A. sought out
new ways to wipe out chiropractors. Their next attempt was to disguise
chiropractic as physical medicine so it would be controlled by them; this
was to be done by showing the public that physical therapists were the
same but with more and better training. Several articles appeared in the
International Review of Chiropractic journal discussing this A.M.A. plan
and what chiropractors should do about it. In May 1953 an article titled,
“The Physical Medicine Menace . . . And How to Cope with it,” appeared in
the journal written by William F. Wittig, D.C. Doctor Wittig was a Palmer
graduate and a resident of Minnesota, a state that had just passed a
physical therapy law. The article opens with comments from the Governor of
Minnesota’s interest in the appearance of chiropractors in medical
clinics. The article then goes on to site laymen comments about
chiropractors now becoming physical therapists. The author discusses why
this train of thought will be the end to chiropractors using very
interesting situations to express his point:
Can you imagine the advice which may be given to a prospective
Chiropractic patient? “Listen Mrs. Brown,” says the staff doctor, “you
won’t need to go to see these quacks for you spinal ailment. We now have
university trained, qualified physical therapists in our clinic.” Or it
might go like this: “Don’t let anyone fool around with your spine,
especially these ‘Chiroquackers.’ Be safe, our personnel here in our
clinic are trained to adequately cope with all your health problems.” (pg
6)
The author makes it very clear in the article that this mistake of
physical therapists and chiropractors being the same is of some fault to
chiropractors incorporating physical therapy into their practices. The
only way to prevent this conversion of chiropractic to physical medicine
is to educate the public. Clearly state what chiropractic is and what it
is not or it will be lost in physical medicine like the A.M.A wants. The
article was a powerful argument and wakeup call chiropractors of its time
to what the A.M.A was thinking.
The May 1953 article certainly made some chiropractors take notice because
in October 1953 in the same journal an abstract from the International
Chiropractors Association’s 27th annual convention appeared. The abstract
was a short summary of an address from Hugh E. Chance, the general counsel
for the ICA. The address gives some very specific examples of M.D.s
referencing subluxations and misalignments as problems with their
patients, which sounds like they are acknowledging chiropractic but not
so. They are in fact trying to take over the profession but making
patients think that these problems can be taken care of in the medical
office. Similarly stated in the May 1953 article, this article (October
1953) goes into more detail about the steps that the A.M.A. was taking and
creating to let physical therapists masqueraded as chiropractors. They are
using schools, legislation, and their medical clout to misinform the
public. In widely distributed articles to the public, neck pain and such
‘symptoms’ are explained as serious and a medical worthy problem. Chance
lays out the plan of the A.M.A. for the us:
1. To investigate and research some of the principles of Chiropractic
without calling it Chiropractic.
2. To denounce Chiropractic, as such publicly.
3. To establish schools of physical therapy and physical medicine under
the domination and control of the American Medical Association.
4. To condition the public to think in terms of medical doctors when they
think of pain in the neck and or pain in the back.
5. To pass physical therapy legislation in the carious states in order to
keep therapy under the direction of the A.M.A. (pg 34)
This plan so well laded out seems to have gone into effect back then and
in present day, but is slow moving and possibly unrealistic in current
times.
Again, the solution according to Chance is to define chiropractic to the
public and to express to chiropractors of that time that sticking with
just chiropractic will halt this threat from the A.M.A. The incorporation
of physical therapy into chiropractic practices is making the situation
worse, but by staying truth to the principles of D.D. will help the
profession stay pure. These ideas are again restated in an article in
November of 1953 in the International Review of Chiropractic journal. The
first articles ideas have come to a head with the titling of the new
article, “Professionalize . . . or Die.” This article sites the fight of
the optometrist profession to overcome the incorporation of medicine into
its field and how it had to stay pure to survive, but also implores
chiropractors to meet this same challenge:
In short, the Chiropractic profession cannot be worthy of the name,”
profession,” or indeed survive, if its practitioners insist on being part
merchant, part masseur, part M.D. and part physiotherapist. That’s the
surest way to invite the medical profession to take us over completely . .
. And at best, we’ll come out of the scramble as medical technicians.
“Professionalize . . or die” must be the watch-word if we expect to meet
the threat of physical medicine. (pg 31-32)
This article, like the others says that for chiropractors to stay true and
uphold in modern day we have to stay pure. Many people to this day still
do not know the difference between chiropractors and physical therapists.
We as chiropractors need to educate the public and follow the demands of
our forefathers to keep the profession distinct. I too implore
chiropractors of modern day to educate and define what chiropractic is, we
are not the same. As D.D. Palmer said, Chiropractic is a separate and
distinct science.
Citations
“Physical Medicine Myth or Menace?” International Review of Chiropractic.
Volume VIII. Number 4. October 1953, pg 3-4, 34, 36.
“Professionalize . . .or Die” International Review of Chiropractic. Volume
VIII. Number 5. November 1953, pg 7, 32.
Wittig, William D.C. “The Physical Medicine Menace . . .and How to Cope
with It” International Review of Chiropractic. Volume VII. Number
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