Daniel David Palmer (1845–1913) was a Canadian magnetic healer who founded chiropractic in 1895 in the United States, combining health theories with beliefs in spiritualism.
Palmer claimed to have received the principles of chiropractic, based on spinal adjustment, through a séance with the spirit of a deceased physician.
Key aspects of D.D. Palmer:
Foundation (1895): He performed the first chiropractic adjustment on Harvey Lillard to cure his deafness by repositioning a subluxated vertebra.
Spiritualism and Magnetism: Before chiropractic, he was a practitioner of animal magnetism (magnetic healing) and a fervent spiritualist, believing that the body's "innate intelligence" communicated through the nervous system.
Philosophy: He believed that illnesses were caused by misaligned vertebrae (subluxations) that blocked nerve flow. Initially, he viewed chiropractic as a blend of science and religion.
Death: He died in 1913 from complications following a traffic accident, after conflicts with his son over leadership of the profession.
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