-
Sorry for the late reply. I just noticed this topic.
Gillet first came on the scene in a series of articles titled “Evolution of a Chiropractor” appearing in the NCA Journal from 1945 to 1949. The series is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the origins of motion palpation. Gillet’s father and brother were both chiropractors, so when Henri graduated from Palmer in 1928 he returned to Europe and went into the family practice. His curious mind was dissatisfied with current explanations of how chiropractic worked. He dropped out of practice for a time, and then was joined by his brother in searching for a more rational approach. They tried all of the current methods of subluxation analysis (NCM, galvanic skin response, x-ray, plumblines, etc.) and found them all dissatisfactory for various reasons. They ultimately concluded that intervertebral fixation was (is) the pathognomonic sign of subluxation and specific restrictions could be identified by manually putting the joint through the various motions of flexion/extension, R&L lateral flexion and R&L rotation.
Fred Illi was another early researcher. He authored “The Vertebral Column; The Lifeline of the Body.” Like Swanberg before him, he did a series of dissections to further elucidate the nature of the subluxation. While at National Illi worked with Janse and they identified a heretofore unknown ligament in the SI joint and named it “Illi’s check ligament.” It’s located at the S2 level at the axis of (very minimal but still important) rotation between the ilium and the sacrum.