Chiropractic Founder's Day

Chiropractic Founder's Day celebrates the birth of the chiropractic profession. It takes place on September 18, the anniversary of the date in 1895 when the first chiropractic adjustment was administered by Dr. Daniel David Palmer. It "provides an opportunity to reflect on how far the profession has come and how chiropractors continue to help and serve their patients." Celebrations are often held at universities, associations, chiropractic schools, and chiropractic clinics. Observance of the day grew more widespread throughout the United States and the world as the profession grew. The day has been endorsed and sponsored by chiropractic associations and other professional organizations. But, since the day and its celebrations are decentralized, and have no sole sponsor, the day has gone by a number of other names over the years, including Chiropractic Rally Day, Chiropractic Anniversary, Chiropractic Discovery Day, Chiropractic Day, and Chiropractic Awareness Day.

Daniel David Palmer founded chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Years before Palmer came up with chiropractic, he was a magnetic healer. He did this for about a decade, but then something changed. He described it in a 1904 edition of The Chiropractor:

On September 18, 1895, Harvey Lillard called upon Dr. Palmer. The doctor asked him how long he had been deaf. He answered "Seventeen years." He was so deaf that he could not hear the rumbling of a wagon on the street. Mr. Lillard informed the doctor that at the time he became deaf he was in a cramped position and felt something give in his neck. Upon examination there was found a displaced vertebra, a spine that was not in line. Dr. Palmer informed Mr. Lillard that he thought he could be cured of his deafness by fixing his back. He consented to have it fixed; we now say adjusted. Two adjustments were given Harvey Lillard in the dorsal vertebra, which replaced a displaced vertebra, freeing nerves that had been paralyzed by pressure... Mr. Lillard can hear today as well as other men. He resides at 1031 Scott Street, Davenport, Iowa.

Early advertisements for chiropractic often included information about the founding of the profession, including the date it began and the story of Harvey Lillard, to try to further legitimize the profession. In 1897, Dr. Daniel David Palmer established the Palmer School and Infirmary of Chiropractic—now known as the Palmer College of Chiropractic, in Davenport, Iowa. During this era, chiropractors faced medical licensing laws that said practicing was illegal. They fought in the courtroom and to establish legislation protecting their profession. In 1913, Dr. Palmer died of typhoid fever. That same year, Kansas became the first state to pass a chiropractic licensing act. It would take until 1974 for the last state, Louisiana, to recognize chiropractic.

A dedication ceremony for Dr. Palmer's memorial bust on the campus in Davenport was held in 1921. At the event, stories were told about the first chiropractic adjustment, and speakers talked of September 18 as the founding date. (The date of September 18, 1895, is also emblazoned on the statue.)

In 1928, chiropractor Wray Hughes Hopkins presented a plan to celebrate chiropractic to Dr. Bartlett Joshua Palmer, president of the Palmer School of Chiropractic and son of the late Dr. Palmer. The goal was to have chiropractors all around the world observe the annual event, and he envisioned it would be celebrated with lectures, radio broadcasts, advertisements in newspapers, and newspaper and magazine articles. With the younger Palmer's support, "the first global Chiropractic Day event was commemorated on September 18, 1928." Celebrations continued in the years that followed. However, they were sometimes held in March.

Newspaper records between 1940 and 1951 indicate that during those years Chiropractic Founder's Day was observed on March 7, on the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Daniel David Palmer. Records show that the holiday began being observed on September 18 in 1952. For example, St. Louis Chiropractors, the Logan College of Chiropractic, and the Missouri College of Chiropractic joined together to celebrate Chiropractic Founder's Day on the date that year. Free examinations were given out by chiropractors in honor of the day.

It was also that year that more formal designations of the day took place. The United States Congressional Record declared the day “to mark observance of the historical date on which Dr. Daniel David Palmer rediscovered the principles of chiropractic and gave a new science of healing to the world." According to the National Library of Medicine, "This 1952 announcement is assumed to be the first known official US congressional recognition of Chiropractic Day."

Celebrations continued in the decades that followed. A banquet commemorating the day was held in Phoenix in 1959 where the dinner speaker was the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. In 1961, the Palmer College of Chiropractic (PCC) held its first annual Founder's Day program. Wreaths were placed on the bust of Dr. Palmer, and the PCC Chorus opened and closed the event. About 1,200 students and employees of the PCC attended, and a speech was made by Dr. David Daniel Palmer, president of the PCC and grandson of the founder. After the ceremony, coffee and a large anniversary cake were served. That same year, wreaths were placed on a bust of Dr. Palmer in Palmer Memorial Park in Port Perry, Ontario, the town of his birth.

Open houses were held at chiropractic clinics on the day in years to come. In 2009, the city of Davenport proclaimed September 18 as Chiropractic Awareness Day in honor of the first chiropractic adjustment having taken place in the city's downtown. In 2022, in honor of the 125th anniversary of the first chiropractic treatment, Chiropractic Founder's Day was proclaimed by Davenport and by the state of Iowa.

How to Observe Chiropractic Founder's Day

• Go to a chiropractor.
• Check for free chiropractic examinations and open houses at chiropractic clinics.
• Check for any other events being held in honor of the day.
• Visit or enroll in classes at Palmer College of Chiropractic. Make sure to stop at the Palmer Family Residence.
• Take classes at another chiropractic school.
• Visit Palmer Memorial Park.
• Make steps to become a chiropractor.
• Tell others about Chiropractic Founder's Day. Share on social media about how you are celebrating along with the hashtag #ChiropracticFoundersDay.
• If you are a chiropractor, mentor a chiropractic student.
• Read a book about chiropractic.
• Read a book about Dr. Palmer.
• Subscribe to or read a chiropractic scientific journal such as the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine.
• Thank your chiropractor or other chiropractors in your community.
• Join the Association for the History of Chiropractic or another chiropractic association such as the American Chiropractic Association.

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