Historical Context Morikubo and Langworthy

The latest lecture series posted for TIC Members includes an historical context for the landmark Morikubo trial. The lecture titled The Impact of the Rehm Paper builds upon the first TIC Wiki entry. The talk expands the methodologies utilized through which to critique the Rehm paper and study its extraordinary impact on the profession. 

A preliminary examination of the impact has begun. It suggests that the Rehm paper falsely claimed that the Morikubo trial was true start of philosophy in chiropractic. This untrue claim has been magnified through discourse chains in the literature over the course of thirty years. The headlines from The Chronicle of Chiropractic are one way to monitor the impact this has had on the discourse.

Rehm Paper Impact Chronicle

*TIC Members may access Part 1 here: Impact of the Rehm Paper

One important factual error from the Rehm paper is his discussion of Solon Langworthy. This short clip captures the problem:

Solon Langworthy

S.M. Langworthy, DC

Solon Massey Langworthy graduated from the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1902. His legacy in chiropractic is being rewritten due to updated facts and more accurate histories. Some of the literature written about him in the past bordered on hagiography such as Lerner’s account and Gibbons’ bio. Nevertheless, Langworthy had a big impact on chiropractic.

He should be best remembered as the pioneer of traction in chiropractic. He also influenced the profession by starting the American School, which was a direct competitor with the Palmer School of Chiropractic.

In 1902, Langworthy inquired with the Palmers about collaborating on a school business. D.D. Palmer was open to the idea at first until he realized that Langworthy was interested in including other health practices into chiropractic such as hydrotherapy, osteopathy, and Nature Cure.

Publishing, Politics, and Conflict

Langworthy positioned himself as a leader in the profession and tried to displace D.D. Palmer from that position. According to Faulkner’s book, The Chiropactor’s Protege, D.D. Palmer accused Langworthy and other early students of plagiarism. Langworthy also started the rumors that D.D. Palmer stole chiropractic from local Bohemian immigrants.

Langworthy included several of D.D. Palmer’s essays in his Backbone newletter with Palmer’s name omitted.

Langworthy was listed as coauthor of Modernized Chiropractic, which was written mostly by Smith. According to Smith, Langworthy was the publisher and he was the author.

Smith, Langworthy, and Paxson started the first American Chiropractic Association (no affiliation to today’s organization). Their main efforts are chronicled in Faulkner’s book. These included defending chiropractors in court and trying to pass legislation in Minnesota. The legislation would have required all new chiropractors to have completed 2 years of schooling. This would have kept out all Palmer graduates and only allowed graduates of Langworthy’s school to gain licensure. The law was defeated in part because the Palmers met with the governor in protest.

Langworthy Table

From The Chiropractor's Protégé

Philosophy and History Lectures

It is time to take the show on the road. In the coming weeks The Institute Chiropractic will be sponsoring Simon Senzon’s lectures in Barcelona, Paris, Spartanburg, Wisconsin, and Seattle. The lectures will cover a wide range of topics on the history, theory, and philosophy of chiropractic. Each set of lectures will be unique.

BCC September 27 – 29

2019 Lectures

BCC - Sep 27-29 AFHC - Oct 4-5 IRAPS - Oct 12 CSW - Oct 17 Seattle - Nov 4

The first group of lectures will be at Barcelona Chiropractic College’s Lyceum.

The BCC Lyceum lectures will include two talks and a workshop. The Friday night talk includes an overview of the research to date at The Institute Chiropractic and a report on the PhD dissertation underway at Southern Cross University.

The PhD is being supported by the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation, which has granted a tuition scholarship to Simon Senzon. All ongoing research at TIC is supported by TIC members and other contributors.

Lyceum Talks

The workshop at Lyceum will cover the gaps in the literature based on the 10 papers recently published in the Journal of Chiropractic Humanities. If you have not read the papers yet, please see this brief overview: The Senzon Papers.

The Saturday talk will be about the Morikubo Trial. This talk is based on the latest paper on the topic. The paper is the first project towards Dr. Senzon’s dissertation. It was recently published in Chiropractic History as The Morikubo Trial: A Content Analysis of a Landmark Chiropractic Case. The talk will go into detail about the context of the case, the impact, and the way it has been distorted in the literature for the last 50 years.

The Future of Chiropractic in Paris October 4-5

The 12 hours of talks in Paris will be hosted by L’Association Française pour l’Histoire de la Chiropratique. These talks will be comprehensive and cover:

Birth of the Chiropractic Paradigm: The Work of Gaucher-Peslherbe, D.D. Palmer’s Paradigm.

The Subluxation Denier Movement: Trouble in the Chiropractic Literature, The State of the References.

D.D. Palmer Renaissance: The Chiropractic Literature of the 1960s, The Paradigm and Research in the 1970s.

Bias in the Chiropractic History Literature: History and Philosophy in the 1980s and 1990s, The impact of Keating, Gibbons, and Rehm.

The Importance of Worldviews in Chiropractic: Five levels of thinking, Perspectives on Chiropractic.

The Life of B.J. Palmer: B.J. Palmer’s major contributions, Consciousness, Research, and Practice.

AFHC French Chiropractic History Association

Paris Sign up

The Four Quadrant Viewpoint: Four perspectives, Four domains of chiropractic.

Social Power and Chiropractic: Dominance of Worldviews, Schools, Journals, and Laws.

The Paradox of Chiropractic Science: Systems Science in the 20th century, Chiropractic Models.

Citation Networks: Quantitative views of the literature, Mapping the Intellectual Field of Chiropractic.

Discourse Analysis: 3 levels of discourse, Dominance in the Discourse.

The Future of Chiropractic: An Integral Approach to Chiropractic.

IRAPS – October 12-13

Dr. Senzon will present the research findings of his newest paper at IRAPS on October 12th. This talk emphasize the research methodologies and the data collection. The new paper on the Morikubo Trial includes 190 primary sources and more than 50 secondary sources. The paper documented a new timeline for this landmark trial with many new details. It was demonstrated that 52 documents in the literature include incorrect facts about Morikubo’s trial. These included books, papers, and dissertation.

Morikubo Cover 2019

It was also demonstrated that there is no evidence that Langworthy or the book Modernized Chiropractic had any impact on the defense’s case. Nor did it impact early chiropractic theory and philosophy in any significant way.

CSW – October 17-18

The Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin’s Health and Wellness Summit will include four hours of lectures by Dr. Senzon. The conference will be at the Glacier Canyon Lodge – Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells.

Dr. Senzon’s talks will include an overview of essential chiropractic theories from chiropractic’s first 100 years. This will include the three chiropractic paradigms, the impact of the literature, and the recent challenges to the chiropractic paradigm. Important chiropractic theorists will be highlighted. The talks will also explore the role of science and theory in the chiropractic discourse. The importance of the Morikubo trial on the current literature will be highlighted as well.

The Philosophy Forum – November 4

Dr. Senzon will be returning to The Chiropractic Philosophy Forum in Seattle on November 4. This two hour talk will explore The Chiropractic Green Books. The talk will be based on the first several chapters of the recent book Chiropractic Green Books: The Definitive Guide.

The talk will emphasize new facts and insights about The Chiropractic Green Books that emerged during research for the book. Few chiropractors realize several unique elements to the books. For example, empirical research impacted theory development at least from 1911 through the 1950s. Many chapters published in the 1950s were actually written decades earlier. B.J. Palmer’s philosophy of Innate Intelligence evolved in his later books as did his vertebral subluxation theories.

If you want to prepare for these talks sign up to TIC today. And do stop by and say hello.

The Definitive Guide

Palmer Chiropractic Green Books Front Cover

Palmer Chiropractic Green Books: The Definitive Guide is the first book to define the Green Books in detail. It includes a theoretical overview and a historical perspective. The Green Books were published between 1906 and 1966. The books are not only the philosophical, scientific, and artistic basis for the profession but also physical artifacts. The Definitive Guide provides a comprehensive list of every edition along with ways to assess rarity and value. The book is a new way to interpret these classic texts for expert and novice.

If you want to prepare for these talks sign up to TIC today. And do stop by and say hello.

CVS Lectures

The CVS Lectures

Sixteen-weeks of videos on the Chiropractic Vertebral Subluxation

GROW

YOUR
Practice.

  • Do you want to improve your patients’ understanding of the importance of CVS? Do you want patients’ to understand why it’s important for their entire family to have their spines checked throughout their life? THIS COURSE will give you tools to effectively communicate to patients.
  • Do you want to understand the many ways CVS has been researched? Would you like to integrate multiple perspectives on the neurophysiology of vertebral subluxation? THE CVS LECTURES provide you with ways to deepen your knowledge about the science of chiropractic.
  • Would you like better understand patient care and learn some of the most influential models of subluxation detection? THIS COURSE teaches how to enhance your clinical understanding of patient care.
  • What would it be worth to you to feel confident that you could clearly articulate misstated facts or poor arguments in the literature or claims on social media? How would it feel to have the tools to effectively confront subluxation deniers and grow the profession with facts? THE CVS LECTURES provide you with ways to confront and use the literature with confidence.

Gain Perspective & Share Knowledge

By widening your perspective, learning a wide-range of information about chiropractic’s foundations, your personal philosophy will naturally develop. Your self-confidence and even your self-esteem as a practitioner will be enhanced.

Explore your new knowledge with colleagues in an online forum. Let’s work together. Bring your your insights confidently into the online discussion forum. We can shape the position of chiropractic in the world. Let’s bring the core foundations of chiropractic back into politics and regulatory bodies. We can plan this strategically and decide the direction of the profession based on the same foundation of facts.

The Chiropractic Profession

is at a Crossroad.

The public is largely ignorant or confused about what chiropractic is. Few chiropractors seem aware of the robust history of research and theory at the foundation of daily practice. Loud voices from a small elitist group in the profession continue to call for baseless changes such as a dismissal of CVS.

This course will provide you with the evidence you need to help take the profession forward on multiple levels: as a practitioner, as a professional, and as an individual who values honesty, truth, and facts.

Each lecture in the sixteen-week series is posted in a discussion forum where you can ask questions and engage with other chiropractors. The lectures are broken down into short video clips, each includes recommended readings. Four live question and answer sessions are available for you to participate in, and recorded so you can review the content. You can join the course at any time.

Topics of the CVS Lectures

A Legacy of CVS Research

Provides clinical insights on the relation between CVS and neurophysiological processes.

CVS Perspectives

Between 1916 and 1962 at least seventeen perspectives on CVS emerged.

Evidence Based Chiropractic

This lecture explores EBM in the context of the chiropractic profession’s warfare.

CVS Consensus

This lecture offers practitioners new insights into more than 100 years of agreement throughout the profession about vertebral subluxation.

The Literature & Practice

This lecture explores errors in the literature. It is vital for chiropractors’ confidence about clinical practice.

Philosophy & Innate Intelligence

This lecture provides tools to better explain philosophical questions.

The Morikubo Trial & Practice

The Morikubo trial has shaped the profession and why it still impacts your practice. This lecture includes facts never taught before.

Subluxation Deniers

This lecture assists practitioners with learning how to navigate the literature and confront claims based on incorrect statements and poorly cited arguments.

Enrollment Includes

One-year Membership.

  • 16 in-depth CVS lectures, released over 16 weeks
  • Each week includes short video clips and recommended reading
  • Discussion Forum for you to ask questions and engage with the other chiropractors
  • Four live Q&A which are recorded for you to view at any time
  • Access to over 100 hours of content
  • Discount Online Continuing Education Courses (in select states and provinces)
  • 1 year membership at The Institute Chiropractic (renews yearly)
  • Sign up anytime
  • The Cost of the Course is $500

Register Today.

Register for The CVS Lectures

Foreword to Palmer Chiropractic Green Books

The first shipments of Palmer Chiropractic Green Books: The Definitive Guide by Timothy Faulkner, Joseph Foley, and Simon Senzon are beginning to arrive worldwide. The first one was received by Donald McDowall, DC, DNBCE, DIBAK, MAppSc, author of the book’s Foreword. Here is a picture of the chiropractic historian himself with the newest textbook for his incredible collection.

The Foreword is posted below. We have also posted the Contents, the Introduction, and the review from Chiropractic History. The Definitive Guide is already reshaping the discourse in the chiropractic profession. 

Foreword

Donald McDowall with Definitive Guide

Palmer Chiropractic Green Books

I have known two of the authors, Faulkner and Foley, since the early days of the Internet in the 1990s. I have known Senzon for the past few years. My expertise as a collector of Green Books as well as a scholar of chiropractic’s early theories gives me a unique perspective on this book. Senzon’s analysis of the forty-four Green Books as described in Chapters Two through Fifteen is outstanding. As to Senzon’s overview, I recommend you take the time to study it carefully, read the references, and then study it again. It is the best introduction to the Green Books ever written. I would however like to provide more context for the important the work of Faulkner and Foley.

The authors, chiropractors Dr. Joe Foley and Dr. Tim Faulkner were computer savvy, Internet addicts as well as chiropractic literature scavenging devotees who competed with me for some of the rare documents, books and memorabilia listed on the used bookstore networks and the Ebay auction website.

In those early days there were few sources for acquiring chiropractic literature and memorabilia outside of being gifted with a retiree chiropractor’s collection or purchasing an estate collection from advertisements. Many retired chiropractors simply packaged their collections and sent them to their Alma Mater for the library archives. Some padded their retirement funds and sold them to the highest or quickest Internet bidder. Much rare historical literature was destroyed when chiropractors passed away.

These old books and relics of the early chiropractors became treasures for a few collectors like Foley, Faulkner and myself. However, the disadvantage I had in this competition to find chiropractic treasures, was where I lived. Canberra, Australia was a long way from where most chiropractors lived in the heartland of chiropractic, the good old USA. The other problem I had was the 14-hour time difference between Australia and the USA.

Sometimes we would bid against each other over a book listing. Dr. Foley and I met battling each other on Ebay.com for a leather-bound edition of D.D. Palmer’s great 1910/11 tomes. Dr. Foley won that battle. However, I was able to win the 1904-1906 leather bound editions of The Chiropractor journal from the same collection. That was an interesting experience because the dealer only listed the first of the three volumes. When I won it, I telephoned the dealer and asked if she had any other items from the same collection that she had not yet listed for sale. She said there were two others and asked if I would like to purchase them as a group without them being listed on Ebay.com. Of course I said yes and was able to score the whole collection. I eventually found out they were a set of only six that B.J. Palmer ever bound and sold. As books they predated Modernized Chiropractic published in 1906 by Smith and Langworthy and The Science of Chiropractic by D.D. and B.J. Palmer, also in 1906.

Collectors are often criticized for hoarding without sharing their know-ledge. This publication is a testament to both authors for giving of their knowledge of this very specialized collector’s niche. I have followed their research and papers published in the Association for the History of Chiropractic Journal with great interest, enjoying their adventures as they uncover the most unusual history of the chiropractic profession.

This book focuses on identifying, grading and rating the Palmer Green Books published by the Palmer School and College of Chiropractic. The books were written from 1906 to 1961 and are generally identified by their green cloth covers. These books are important to chiropractors because they describe the history and challenges of the profession. Some describe the arguments and contentions that arose and were resolved or continued by the Palmers, others are texts that have gone through multiple prints and occasional additional editions.

Knowing what books to look for and how to identify these original books from modern reprints is essential to gauge a reasonable price. The authors show you how to identify the characteristics of the original books and assess their condition. Some of these books may appear new and others will be so well used they are covered in notes, handed down to many generations of students until the covers fall off and the pages fragmenting.

Over time some books became very hard to find. In fact, only 15 copies of D.D. Palmer’s original 1910 book are known to exist. There may be even less copies of his 1914 book. The variations in prices of these books are well described for the beginning collector.

The book describes how to begin your collection and how to expand it. The Introduction describes Foley and Faulkner’s journey as collectors. Many of the documents and books are housed at the special collections section of the Palmer University Library, the mecca for chiropractors, where they can visit and see complete sets of the various editions of these famous books. This library also contains many original publications from before the beginning of the profession that may inspire you to broaden your collection. The book also includes an extensive collection of photographs of the books to best illustrate the variety of collections possible to achieve.

Why go to this much trouble to collect the history of this unique profession? For many it will be a family heritage in the chiropractic profession, for others it will be the knowledge found in the books that may soon be lost as the profession transitions into a back pain care model. Many chiropractic schools worldwide are not teaching today’s students their chiropractic history, philosophy and some of its science. Today’s students may never know the unique features of their profession without having this founding education recorded by the Palmers.

Chiropractic began in a healing culture that included homeopathy (eclectics), naturopathy, medical gymnastics (pilates), pharmaceuticals, orthopedics and surgery, and still people suffered chronic conditions with no hope for further help. D.D. Palmer found that adjusting the spine rebooted the human nervous system to reset and restore tissues, organs and structures where other methods had failed. With so few copies of these early books available many chiropractors may need to refocus their current practice using the information in this book.

D.D. Palmer was a genius and defended the profession he founded in his 1910 thesis much to the dislike of those who misunderstood or misused his work. B.J. Palmer carried the flame and continued to defend his father’s work until 1961. He added new methods of analysis and adjustment as described in these books. Today’s chiropractors risk having a profession by name only without knowing its foundations as recorded by its founders. Drs. Faulkner, Foley, and Senzon have narrowed that gap with this work. I encourage every chiropractor to study this book and reclaim their heritage by developing their own collection of chiropractic history.

Donald McDowall
DC (PCC), DNBCE, DIBAK, MAppSc.
Canberra, Australia

Rehm Legally Defensible

InstituteChiro Wiki

Legally Defensible:

Chiropractic in the Courtroom and After, 1907

Author: William S. Rehm, D.C.

Citation: Chiropractic History, 1986. 6: 51-55.

This article was published in 1986 in the journal Chiropractic History.1 At the time, not much was known about Morikubo and his trial. The Palmer Archives were not yet catalogued and available for researchers. Rehm, a chiropractic historian, mostly relies on the unpublished Lerner Report as his source.

Rehm’s article establishes some context for the landmark Morikubo case. The article itself has led to decades of theory about the historical origins of chiropractic’s history and perhaps more particularly, chiropractic’s philosophy. Unfortunately, much of it is incorrect.

The article does establish that the case set a precedent and established chiropractic as separate and distinct based on its science, art, and philosophy.

In order to objectively and critically analyze the article, seven criteria are used. These criteria were developed by Dr. McAulay, a prominent chiropractic academic, as a critical way to approach the chiropractic literature. The criteria are; Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Depth, Breadth, and Logical Consistency.2

Contents:

Clarity

Accuracy

Precision

Relevance

Depth

Breadth

Logical Consistency

Critiques and Revisions

References

DD Palmer and Morikubo

BJ and Morikubo (1906)

Clarity

Clarity requires that every statement is backed up with appropriate citations.2

Rehm’s article relies on one primary source and six secondary sources.3-9 And yet, not every statement is backed up with citations. For example, Rehm cites competition between newspapers of La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1907, but cites no newspapers. Instead, he relies on Mawhiney’s 1984 Chiropractic in Wisconsin. Rehm correctly cites Turner’s The Rise of Chiropractic and even corrects Turner.

Rehm’s main source is Lerner’s manuscript. Eleven of Rehm’s twenty-six referenced points come from Lerner’s report. The problems with Lerner’s manuscript may be explained in part due to a lack of resources, as it was written in 1952. It does contain facts and refers to interviews that were taped but not transcribed. It also refers to some court documents, newspaper articles, and some chiropractic literature. Unfortunately, Lerner chose to fill in the gaps of his knowledge with conjecture and does not provide a list of references. Today, we have access to digital libraries of old newspapers, pdfs of old documents and books, as well as new historical finds. It is relatively easy to point out the errors of Lerner’s report, note his correct facts, and better appreciate his conjectures. For this wiki, much of the focus is on Rehm’s use of Lerner’s report.

Accuracy

The overall accuracy of the article is very poor. A good deal of Lerner’s information is unsourced and much of it was fabricated in order to write an interesting story. Thus, Rehm’s article includes a few historical facts and several errors leading to some incorrect conclusions.

Several basic facts are correct such as;

  • Morikubo was charged with practicing medicine, surgery, and osteopathy without a license.
  • Tom Morris convinced the court to drop the charges down to “practicing osteopathy without a license.”
  • Morris was able to demonstrate that osteopathy and chiropractic were separate.
  • Morikubo was acquitted.
  • Soon after the trial, B.J. Palmer started referring to himself as “developer” and had the faculty grant him the first PhC degree, or ‘doctor of chiropractic philosophy.’10
  • The Universal Chiropractor’s Association (UCA) was started the year before the Morikubo trial.11
  • There were no laws in the United States regulating chiropractic as of 1907.11
  • D.D. Palmer was sentenced to 105 days in jail in April 1906, for practicing medicine without a license. He was released after 23 days upon paying the fine.8
  • D.D. Palmer did not defend himself in court and only offered “one legendary outburst.”
    (    To read the outburst please follow this link: DD to the Judge in 1906.)
  • Langworthy started a rival school, a magazine, an association with colleagues (the first American Chiropractic Association), and published a textbook. He and the Palmers did have a rivalry.12
    (According to Faulkner’s book, D.D. even referred to Langworthy as “Langworthless” as early as 1901.)12

Here are some of the assertions made by Rehm that are now found to be factually incorrect:

Assertions:

  • Morikubo claimed that he only came to LaCrosse to pioneer chiropractic.
  • Morikubo’s July interview with the Tribune and prejudice against Japanese during that era, were the reasons he was singled out with charges.
  • Morikubo’s defense was planned quickly, by Morris in two weeks.

Facts: While Morikubo’s interview with the Tribune is accurate, he only told the complete story after the trial and many of the facts have only come to light in recent years. Morikubo and B.J. Palmer chose LaCrosse, because of the case against Whipple, a chiropractor practicing in LaCrosse, in 1905.13 In that case, D.D. Palmer was the expert witness and the chiropractor on trial lost. D.D. agreed that he was guilty and was mixing other methods with chiropractic. Charges were originally brought against Whipple by a local osteopath named Jorris. After graduating at the top of his class, Morikubo opened an office in the building that Jorris practiced in. Morikubo took out a full page ad as a four-column article on the science and philosophy of chiropractic.14 Morikubo was sent to test the law. He and B.J. planned to force the legal issue and utilize the new Universal Chiropractor’s Association. According to Morikubo, he and B.J. worked on their defense for six months prior to the trial.15

Assertion: Chiropractic’s first legal conflict was a grand jury indictment against the Palmer Infirmary in 1903, which involved B.J. Palmer and D.D. Palmer. This led to D.D. Palmer’s eventual jail sentence in 1906 for practicing medicine without a license.

Fact: This conjecture comes from Lerner’s account. Lerner offers no facts to support it. The charges against D.D. Palmer in 1906 relate to statements made in his publication The Chiropractor, which started production in December 1904.16 Earlier cases included various legal troubles for D.D. Palmer, the Brunner case, and the Whipple case.12

Assertion: Tom Morris developed his legal argument from “the scholarly writings” of “Dr. Solon Massey Langworthy.”

Fact: There is no evidence that the book Modernized Chiropractic was used in the defense. There is some indication that several chiropractic books were requested by the prosecution. One news story notes that Morikubo provided all books on chiropractic and osteopathy to the prosecution. There is no evidence of how they were used or, which ones. At the time of the trial, several books were in print including B.J. Palmer’s Vol. 2, Davis’ Neuropathy, as well as D.D. and B.J.’s Science of Chiropractic from 1906.

Morikubo and another witness both stated that they did not use the Langworthy book in court.18,15 These statements were in response to a statement from Langworthy’s association (ACA).  Specifically, the only surviving quote from the statement, suggests that the arguments in the case originated a talk Langworthy gave in 1906, and that talk was reproduced in the book.15 Any suggestion that the argument was actually used by the defense is conjecture.

Another conjecture is the possibility that the defense followed the reasoning developed by Smith during the Brunning trial. Faulkner’s book demonstrates that Smith was an expert witness in the Brunning case in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1906. Smith was also secretary of that first ACA. Brunning was accused of improperly using the title “Dr.” In Smith’s testimony, he emphasized chiropractic’s separate methods and the unique approach to disease and causation. He learned those ideas from D.D. Palmer.12 (It is unknown whether Tom Morris was aware of the only other chiropractic trials in the Midwest during those years.)

Morikubo responded to the allegation from the ACA. Morikubo writes of Modernized Chiropractic, “I fail to see in it any argument which might in the slightest degree add any strength to my position against the false accusation made by Osteopathy.”15 He also notes that the prosecution tried to use the book to demonstrate similarities (not differences) between chiropractic and osteopathy. He writes,

“On the contrary, the principles set forth by its authors are no more Chiropractic than Osteopathy. It was with difficulty that we succeeded in detracting our opponent’s attention from referring to “Modernized Chiropractic” to show the judge and jury that Chiropractic was a smattering knowledge of Osteopathy.”15

Even though Lerner quotes from several issues of The Chiropractor, he must have not had access to the issues that debunked his claims. (It is unknown whether he had access to the original statement about Langworthy’s essay.)

New evidence proves that Modernized Chiropractic was written by O.G. Smith, D.D. Palmer’s 10th student.12 According to Smith’s 1932 edition of the book, Langworthy was the publisher.19

Assertions: According to Rehm, “Modernized Chiropractic purported to establish for the first time these ideas: ‘A correct philosophy, a well-developed technique, a dependable systems of diagnosis, and a reliable and extensive system of correction.” Also, that the brain was the source of the “unseen power,” and that the book introduced the importance of intervertebral foramina, the chiropractic thrust, and the central role of the nervous system in chiropractic theory.1

Facts: D.D. Palmer wrote about all of these ideas between the years 1899 and 1905.22-27

Assertion: Chiropractic only relied on philosophy after the court case.

Fact: D.D. Palmer’s wrote about Subluxation and IVF in 1902,28, 29 Innate Intelligence and Educated Intelligence can be dated at least to 1903,25 and his writings on Universal Intelligence can be dated to 1905.27

Assertion: B.J. abandoned his father’s philosophy and embraced Langworthy’s theories.

Fact: Both B.J.’s theories and Smith’s theories (as described in Modernized Chiropractic) were built upon D.D. Palmer’s theories.12, 30

Assertion: Tom Morris was “the brains behind B.J.” and “developed the idea of chiropractic philosophy.”1

Fact: B.J. Palmer had already delivered two sets of unique lectures, published his own textbook in 1907 as Vol. 2,30 and contributed several essays to the 1906 text, The Science of Chiropractic,31 before working with Morris. Morris and B.J. Palmer worked together for two decades defending chiropractors. They mostly relied on the new theories B.J. developed in 1907 and 1908, which were based on D.D.’s theories.30, 32-34

Assertion: B.J. and Morris split because of a new UCA policy in the 1920s, which only defended chiropractors practicing “straight chiropractic,” who did not include extraneous methods or therapies.

Fact: The UCA policy always focused on this defense. In fact, Holmes, Morris’ law partner, even wrote of this in a textbook called Malpractice as Applied to Chiropractors, published by the Palmer School of Chiropractic as Green Book Vol. 17, in 1924.35 Morris endorsed the book. The splits in the ranks of the UCA in the 1920s were complex.11

Precision

Apart from the obvious inaccuracies reported, Rehm’s article makes several statements, which lead to conclusions that are questionable. For example, Rehm inserted his own opinion by using the term “dogma” twice. Once was in regard to B.J. Palmer’s theories. The second time suggests that the Morikubo trial was an attempt to merge “science and dogma.” In this regard, he also quotes the term, “unscientific and cultist” in referring to the philosophy of chiropractic, but there is no source for the quote. These types of unsubstantiated opinions were misrepresented as facts in future publications citing Rehm.36, 37

Relevance

In light of the many problems with accuracy, clarity, and precision, Rehm’s article should no longer be considered relevant and should not be cited to support its basic claims.

Depth

Rehm’s article is lacking in complexity and dimensionality. It relies on Lerner’s one-sided account, historical errors, and a bias against the chiropractic paradigm, which emphasizes Innate Intelligence and vertebral subluxation. We now know that the context of the Morikubo trial is far more complex than the article suggests.

Breadth

Rehm’s article also lacks breadth, which is defined as a “full spectrum of thinking on the subject.”2

Logical Consistency

Rehm’s article tells a clear enough story but it is based on so many gaps and an inherent bias against core chiropractic theories that it does not meet this criteria. For example, a reading of D.D. Palmer’s articles and chapters from 1902 to 1906 demonstrates that his theories were developed well before the Morikubo trial. The logic of Rehm’s article is deeply flawed.

Critiques and Revisions

There have been several critiques of Rehm and Lerner in the literature of the past few years.38-44 Any peer-reviewed papers published at this point referencing Rehm to support the spurious claims should call into question the adequacy of journals, reviewers, and editors that let it pass as a valid reference.

The literature citing Rehm is extensive.11, 13, 36, 37, 45-89 It is difficult to estimate the impact of the article on the chiropractic literature, chiropractic education, and even chiropractic policy decisions.

The Institute Chiropractic Wiki will continue to list seminal articles from the chiropractic canon. Statements that do not meet the criteria of a critical approach, especially the criteria of clarity due to unsupported statements, will be noted. It is hoped that this contribution to the literature will help to reshape the future discourse in chiropractic and inspire revisions of arguments that rely on inadequate citations.

References

  1. Rehm, W., Legally defensible: Chiropractic in the courtroom and after, 1907. Chiropr Hist, 1986. 6: p. 51.
  2. McAulay, B., Rigor in the philosophy of chiropractic: Beyond the dismissivism/authoritarian polemic. J Chiropr Humanit, 2005. 12: p. 16-32.
  3. Mawhiney, R.B., Chiropractic in Wisconsin 1900-1950. 1984: Wisconsin Chiropractic Association.
  4. Urdang, L., The Timetables of American History: History and Politics, the Arts, Science and Technology, and More in America and Elsewhere. 2001: Simon and Schuster. 
  5. Turner, C., The Rise Of Chiropractic. 2006/1931: Kessinger Publishing.
  6. Lerner, C., The Lerner report. 1952, Davenport, IA.: Palmer College Archives.
  7. Gilkey, G.R., The First Seventy Years: A History of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1909-1979. 1981: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation.
  8. Gielow, V., Old dad chiro: A biography of D.D. Palmer founder of chiropractic. 1982, La Crosse (WI): Fred Barge.
  9. Palmer, B.J., The Chiropractor. 1907. December.
  10. Palmer, B.J., The Chiropractor. 1907. August-September.
  11. Keating, J., A. Callender, and C. Cleveland, A history of chiropractic education in North America. 1998, Davenport, IA: Association for the History of Chiropractic.
  12. Faulkner, T., The Chiropractor’s Protégé: The Untold Story of Oakley G. Smith’s Journey with D.D. Palmer in Chiropractic’s Founding Years. 2017, Rock Island, Ill: Association for the History of Chiropractic.
  13. Troyanovich, T, Keating, J, Wisconsin versus chiropractic: the trials at LaCrosse and the birth of a chiropractic champion. Chiropr Hist, 2005. 25(1): p. 37-45.
  14. Morikubo, S., Chiropractic. LaCross Leader, 1907.
  15. Morikubo, S., The Motive of Conspiracy. The Chiropractor, 1907. 3(11).
  16. Waters, T., Chasing D.D.: D.D. Palmer in the news 1886-1913. 2013, Raleigh, NC: Lulu, Inc.
  17. Palmer, D.D., Dr. D.D. Palmer’s Address to the Judge. The Chiropractor, 1906. May.
  18. Linniker, C., Letter from Chas Linniker to B.J. Palmer, B.J. Palmer, Editor. 1908: The Chiropractor (4).
  19. Smith, O., Naprapathic genetics: Being a study of the origin and development of naprathy. 1932, Chicago: Self-published.
  20. Palmer, D.D. and B.J. Palmer, Chiropractic Book. The Chiropractor, 1906. 2(2): p. 8.
  21. Foley, J. and T. Faulkner, Email corresponence, S. Senzon, Editor. 2018.
  22. Palmer, D.D., The Chiropractic. 1899. March(Number 26).
  23. Palmer, D.D., The Chiropractic. Number 26, 1900.
  24. Palmer, D.D., Is chiropractic an experiment? . The Davenport Times, 1902. June 14.
  25. Palmer, D.D., Innate Intelligence. Palmer Infirmary and Chiropractic Institute, 1903.
  26. Palmer, D.D., Chiropractic defined. The Chiropractor, 1905. 1(4).
  27. Palmer, D.D., Immortality. The Chiropractor, 1906. 2(3).
  28. Palmer, D.D., Letter to B.J. Palmer. 1902. April 27.
  29. Palmer, B.J., Chirorpactic: Its value to suffering humanity. The Davenport Times, 1902. August.
  30. Palmer, B.J., The science of chiropractic: Eleven physiological: Vol. 2. 1907, Davenport, IA: Palmer School of Chiropractic.
  31. Palmer, D.D. and B.J. Palmer, The science of chiropractic 1906, Davenport, Iowa: The Palmer School of Chiropractic.
  32. Palmer, B.J., The philosophy and principles of chiropractic adjustments: A series of twenty-four lectures; Vol. 3. Volume 3. 1908, Davenport, IA: Palmer School of Chiropractic.
  33. Palmer, B.J., The science of chiropractic: Causes localized: Vol. 4. 1908, Davenport, IA: Palmer School of Chiropracitc.
  34. Palmer, B.J., Philosophy of chiropractic: Vol. 5. 1st ed. 1909, Davenport. IA: Palmer School of Chiropractic.
  35. Holmes, A., Malpractice as applied to chiropractors. 1924, Davenport: Palmer College.
  36. Keating, J. and R. Mootz, The influence of political medicine on chiropractic dogma: Implications for scientific development. J Man and Phys Ther, 1989. 12(5): p. 393-397.
  37. Keating, J., The specter of dogma. J Can Chiropr Assoc, 2001. 45(2): p. 76.
  38. Peters, R. and M. Chance, Disasters, discoveries, developments, and distinction: The year that was 1907. Chiropr J Aust, 2007. 37: p. 145-156.
  39. Wolfe, J., Who really convinced a jury that the chiropractic vertebral subluxation is distinct from the osteopathic spinal lesion. International Research and Philosophy Symposium, 2015. Sherman College.
  40. Senzon, S., Constructing a philosophy of chiropractic: When worldviews evolve and Premodern roots. J Chiropr Humanit, 2011. 18(1): p. 10-23.
  41. Senzon, S., Constructing a philosophy of chiropractic I: an Integral map of the territory. J Chiropr Human, 2010. 17(17): p. 6-21.
  42. Chance, M.A. and R.E. Peters, Appreciating a legacy without prejudice. Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 2006. 36(4): p. 121.
  43. Wolfe, J., Fleshing Out a Footnote: Dr. Shegetaro Morikubo’s Life in America Before and After the Famous 1907 La Crosse Trial. Chiropractic History, 2014. 34(2).
  44. Senzon, S., Chiropractic Revisions. https://www.institutechiro.com/chiropractic-revisions/, 2012.
  45. Keating, J., Rationalism and empiricism vs. the philosophy of science in chiropractic. Chiropr Hist, 1990. 10(2): p. 23-27.
  46. Keating, J., Several pathways in the evolution of chiropractic manipulation. J Man and Phys Ther, 2003. 26(5): p. 300-321.
  47. Keating, J., C. Cleveland, and M. Menke, Chiropractic History: A primer. 2004, Davenport: Association for the History of Chiropractic.
  48. Keating, J., The gestation and difficult birth of the American Chiropractic Association. Chiropr Hist, 2006. 26(2): p. 91-126.
  49. Keating, J. and W. Rehm, The origins and early history of the National Chiropractic Association. J Can Chir Assoc, 1993. 37(1): p. 27-51.
  50. Keating, J., C. Sterling Cooley, DC, FICC, Forgotten Leader of Chiropractic’s Middle Ages-Part I.
  51. Troyanovich, S. and J. Troyanovich, Chiropractic and Type O (Organic) Disorders: Historical Development and Current Thought. Chiropr Hist, 2012. 32(1): p. 59-72.
  52. Donahue, J., Metaphysics, rationality and science. J Man and Phys Ther, 1994. 17(1): p. 54-55.
  53. Coulter, I., Uses and Abuses of Philosophy in Chiropractic. Philosophical Constructs for the Chiropractic Profession, 1992.
  54. Leach, R., The chiropractic theories: A textbook of scientific research: Third edition. 1994, Baltimore, MA: Williams and Wilkins.
  55. Myburgh, C., Methodological and epistemological challenges for the chiropractic profession in health care-a study of the history, status quo and future of research and clinical practices. 2005, Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch.
  56. Plaugher, G., Textbook of clinical chiropractic: a specific biomechanical approach. 1993: Williams & Wilkins.
  57. Rehm, W., Remembering Tom Morris. J Chiropr Hum, 1998. 8(1): p. 67-70.
  58. Strauss, J., Refined by fire: The evolution of straight chiropractic. 1994, Levittown(PA): Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education.
  59. Moore, S., Chiropractic in America: The history of a medical alternative. 1993: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  60. Folk, H., Vertebral Vitalism: American Metaphysics and the Birth of Chiropractic, 2006, Ph.D. diss: Indiana University.
  61. Keating, J., The short life & enduring influence of the American Chiropractic Association, 1922-1930. Chiropr Hist, 1996. 16(1): p. 50-64.
  62. Phillips, R., et al., A contemporary philosophy of chiropractic for the LACC. J Chiropr Humanit, 1994. 4: p. 20-25.
  63. Folk, H., The Religion of Chiropractic: Populist Healing from the American Heartland. 2017: UNC Press Books.
  64. Keating, J., Science and politics and the subluxation. Amer J Chiropr Med, 1988. 1(3): p. 107-10.
  65. Keating, J. and R. Mootz, Five contributions to a philosophy of the science of chiropractic. JMPT, 1987. 10(1): p. 25-29.
  66. Keating, J., The evolution of Palmer’s metaphors and hypotheses. Philosophical Constructs for the Chiropractic Profession, 1992. 2(1): p. 9-19.
  67. Green, B., M. Mostashari, and T. Trafecanty, Tom Morris: Chiropractic Advocate and Friend of Drugless Healers. Chiropr Hist, 1994. 14(1): p. 36.
  68. Green, B., Gloom or boom for chiropractic in its second century? A comparison of the demise of alternative healing professions. Chiropractic history: the archives and journal of the Association for the History of Chiropractic, 1994. 14(2): p. 22-29.
  69. Keating, J., “Heat by nerves and not by blood”. Chiropr Hist, 1995. 15(2): p. 70-77.
  70. Green, B., A place for chiropractic historians: The workshop to develop a chiropractic research agenda. chiropr Hist, 1996. 16(2).
  71. Editor, Instructions for Authors. Chiropr Hist, 1997-2008.
  72. Keating, J., Roots of the NCMIC: Loran M. Rogers and the National Chiropractic Association, 1930-1946. Chiropractic history: the archives and journal of the Association for the History of Chiropractic, 2000. 20(1): p. 39-55.
  73. Wardwell, W., Chiropractic: History and evolution of a new profession. 1992, St. Louis(MO): Mosby.
  74. Troyanovich, S. and R. Gibbons, Finding Langworthy: The last years of a chiropractic pioneer. Chiropr Hist, 2003. 23(1): p. 7-16.
  75. Keating, J., A brief history of historical scholarship in chiropractic. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2001. 45(2): p. 113.
  76. Mootz, R.D., Back to basics… professional identity: The role of chiropractic theory. Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, 2001. 8(1): p. 1-9.
  77. Funk, M.F., et al., The prevalence of the term subluxation in chiropractic degree program curricula throughout the world. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 2018. 26(1): p. 24.
  78. Keating, J., Early Palmer theories of dis-ease. Whittier CA: Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, 1996.
  79. Keating, J., Notes on B.J. Palmer & the Palmer School. National Institute of Chiropractic Research, 2005.
  80. Keating, J., Chronology of Shegetaro Morikubo, DC. National Institute of Chiropractic Research, 2007.
  81. Villanueva-Russell, Y., Caught in the crosshairs: Identity and cultural authority within chiropractic. Social Science & Medicine, 2011. 72(11): p. 1826-1837.
  82. Wardwell, W., Chiropractic “philosophy”. J Chiropr Humanit, 1994. 3: p. 3-8.
  83. Keating, J., Philosophy in chiropractic, in Principles and practice of chiropractic, S. Haldeman, Editor. 2005, McGraw Hill Companies, Inc: New York. p. 77-97.
  84. Johnson, C., Reflecting on 115 years: the chiropractic profession’s philosophical path. 2010, Elsevier.
  85. Young, K.J., Gimme that old time religion: the influence of the healthcare belief system of chiropractic’s early leaders on the development of x-ray imaging in the profession. Chiropractic & manual therapies, 2014. 22(1): p. 36.
  86. Villanueva-Russell, Y., An ideal-typical development of chiropractic, 1895-1961: Pursuing professional ends through entrepreneurial means. Social Theory & Health, 2008. 6: p. 250-272.
  87. Keating, J., Ain’t got enough philosophy. Dynamic chiropractic, 2003. 16.
  88. Keating, J., Chiropractic at the Turn of the Century. Dynamic Chiropractic, 2001. 19.
  89. Senzon, S., The secret history of chiropractic: D.D. Palmer’s spiritual writings. 2005, Asheville, NC: Self published.

Straight and Mixer

In this recent interview for ChiroSushi with Tristan Schaub, we talk about the old Straight vs. Mixer controversy in chiropractic. You can read a bit more about this topic in the blog post on D.D. Palmer’s quote to John Howard and also in the article on chiropractic professionalization.

In this interview, Simon and Tristan discuss the history of the debate, the three paradigms of chiropractic, and some important philosophical distinctions.

Learn More

In the interview, we mention a few important books, lectures, and dialogues. Here are a few of those resources:

In 2017, Dr. Senzon traveled to Gaffney, South Carolina, and interviewed Dr. Thom Gelardi, founder of Sherman College. A preview of their two-hour dialogue is posted here:

TIC Dialogue with Thom Gelardi and Simon Senzon (preview)

In the talk, we also discuss some pivotal events from the days of Sherman College’s founding such as Reggie Gold and the book Chiropractic and Politics, which was written by faculty at Sherman College in 1978. The book lays out grounds for conspiracy charges against the CCE and the NBCE.

Another important source of new facts on the early history of chiropractic is Tim Faulkner’s book The Chiropractor’s Protégé. The book is filled with incredible documentation from O.G. Smith, D.D. Palmer’s 10th student, and information about several of the early students like Langworthy, B.J. Palmer, and A.P. Davis. The book also includes new photos of D.D. Palmer, details about the controversies between the early leaders, as well the many “firsts” of Smith.

We also mentioned Simon’s two hour lecture on R.J. Watkins. The talk is available for TIC Members here. It is based on Steve Walton’s book The Complete Chiropractor.

The three chiropractic paradigms of chiropractic are described in the article Chiropractic and Systems Science and also described in some of the Online CE courses at TIC. 

Refs

References to Chiropractic’s History of Ideas: An Outline

 

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Chiropractic Background

One the greatest challenges confronting the chiropractic profession is a problem with the literature, the chiropractic background. Articles in the literature dating back at least forty years need to be reassessed, critiqued, and updated. This becomes more obvious to me every time I read a new opinion paper or an overview of the profession’s crossroad or schism. 

I just started reading the new paper by a first-year chiropractic student and his mentor. It is an excellent example of this problem, which has affected a portion of the chiropractic literature today. My intent is not to be overly critical, just honest. It is time we start dissecting the literature with clarity, conviction, and the facts.

I won’t dissect the whole paper for you today. It would take too long, your time is precious. Let’s just look at the first page and the use of references to begin to understand how the literature from the past affects the profession today.

First, I sincerely commend the author, Bob Strahinjevich. To take on the task of writing an overview of the chiropractic profession’s schism as a student is remarkable. It took me three years to write my first paper as a student. I understand. It has taken me another twenty years to grok the literature and so mistakes are perfectly understandable as well.

The Schism in Chiropractic Through the Eyes of a 1st Year Chiropractic Student was coauthored by Dr. Keith Simpson. I have written about one of Simpson’s papers before. It had its own challenges.

I write this out of respect for the chiropractors that came before us and even greater respect for those that will graduate in the future. It is to them that we owe a body of literature that rests on a comprehensive accounting of the profession, not on singular viewpoints based on flawed literature.

Past and Future of Chiropractic

Let’s Focus on the Background

On the first page, the authors rely on twenty references to establish the background. The mark of a good paper is its use of references and more importantly what references it neglects. I will focus on the most obvious problems and steer away from the nitty-gritty details. After all, so few of their references have been critically analyzed in the literature.

The first two paragraphs just cite the internal divergence within the profession. However, we should take note of their use of quotation marks around the word discovered. They write, “since chiropractic was ‘discovered’ in 1895.” Perhaps this just harks back to Simpson’s 2012 paper, which does the same thing. This approach mainly says to the reader that D.D. Palmer didn’t really discover chiropractic. This is an old trope dating back to Palmer’s earliest detractors such as Smith, Langworthy, Gregory, Davis, and Forster. There is no basis in fact for positioning the invention of chiropractic like this but that is the stuff of another post.

OG Smith, DC

SM Langworthy, DC

Alva Gregory, MD, DC

AP Davis, MD, DO, DC

Arthur Forster, MD, DC

In paragraph three, they reference some literature offering solutions to the profession’s schism. However, their references for solutions only include three sociologists (if you include Simpson) and Walker’s incredibly biased opinion paper. It would be a much stronger paper if they included a wider spectrum of the literature offering solutions. 

The Straw Man Fallacy

The remaining sections of the Background include a surface analysis of the “ideological gulf” in the profession. They rely on Phillips’ flawed paper from two decades ago positioning chiropractors as either believers or questioners. This argument does not reflect how actual chiropractors engage with chiropractic theories about Innate Intelligence and vertebral subluxation, especially since Phillips’ only references were Will Durant, B.J. Palmer, R.W. Stephenson, and a Los Angeles Chiropractic College position paper.

Then they utilize Phillips’ incorrect assessment about chiropractor’s perspectives as fact and cite Keating’s biography of B.J. Palmer to suggest “entrenched ideologies, based on misunderstanding of science and marinated in the fear of losing a ‘separate and distinct’ (from all things medical) identity have prevented chiropractic from fully unifying and moving forward.” This is by definition a straw man argument. 

A note about Keating’s unfortunate book: It is filled with facts that support a deep bias against B.J. Palmer. (I challenge anyone to read the book and determine whether you feel that biographer actually read B.J. Palmer’s 39 volumes. Isn’t it expected that a biographer read the books authored by their subject?)

So, the Background is a straw man argument based in part on dated and biased literature.

Straw Man Fallacy

A Deeper View

I would love to direct your attention to a few articles in the literature that do not get cited in this paper. I point this out because many of the issues have been explored in other papers. To write a paper on the schism in chiropractic and ignore a good portion of the recent literature on the topic is considered poor scholarship. You don’t have to agree with the other literature but you do at least have to review it and explain why you disagree. That would be considered good scholarship if your arguments are sound.

I published an article in 2001 in The Journal of Integral Studies. In that article, I talked about the general consensus in the profession around the concept that the body is self-healing and self-organizing. We could easily build upon that to create bridges. The article also applies cultural and psychological perspectives to viewing the historical concepts of Innate Intelligence and Universal Intelligence. But the journal was obscure so I am not surprised many have missed it.

More recent articles bridge the gaps these authors intuit but go far deeper down the rabbit hole that is the schism in the profession. The complexity of worldviews and perspectives that has always been at conflict within chiropractic cannot be simplified around a fictitious “entrenched ideology,” nor can it be simplified to those who seek “evidence” and those who don’t. Any papers you may read that imply those types of dichotomies are just creating new myths.

In one article, I explored eight different ways the profession could engage around constructing theory and philosophy. In another article, I explored the historical schism in chiropractic by demonstrating that at least five verifiable perspectives exist in the profession as developmental trajectories. Most of these perspectives will always clash no matter what profession embodies them. One key to unity is to understand what they are, develop an accurate history of how they clashed in the past, and then develop ways to dialogue across them. 

The chiropractic profession is fractured. It has been since 1902 according to Faulkner’s book on O.G. Smith. The solutions to the profession’s problems are not in publishing more articles that reference the same flawed arguments from the last forty years. The solution is in viewing the profession through new lenses from other disciplines, correcting the literature of the past, and honestly confronting it through science and good scholarship.

Please watch for future dissections of the literature and quite possibly a chirowiki that highlights the literature.

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