In 1895, Daniel David Palmer, a magnetic healer living in the Midwest of the U.S., restored the hearing of a patient who had been deaf since injuring his spine 17 years prior. Palmer located and adjusted a displaced vertebra in the patient’s spine. Palmer hypothesised that the patient’s deafness had been caused by the effect of the displaced vertebra on the patient’s nervous system.

 

That event, Palmer’s subsequent clinical experience and his work in teaching his newfound discipline are credited with having given birth to chiropractic. Since its inception, chiropractic has grown to the point where it is now a large and well established healthcare profession in many countries around the world. As a result, chiropractors now make a major contribution to human health and well-being through the provision of care that includes the use of neither drugs nor surgery.