“Facts are more important than ideology.” The only way that is valid is if the facts are based upon principles and not opinions. Most so-called”facts” are merely a person conveying his/her own “truth”/opinion. The CCE is many(perhaps most) chiropractor’s “truth”/opinion. It probably always was; the idea that chiropractic was an alternative approach to getting sick people well, one without drugs and surgery It probably existed in the minds of many from the very beginning of the profession. But even that opinion seems to be changing (for the better or worse, depending on your point of view). It was BJ’s based upon my understanding, having read much of his writings. The “philosophy” of TSC bears that out.
The problem that we run into, and historically did in our profession, is when we confuse facts and opinion. That usually happens when we establish a person like BJ Palmer or an organization, like the CCE, as an authority or like TSC, which has established the authority of both. Making the CCE our authority (which many chiropractors have done) has led to our present problems. Granted they may be “the law of the land” (for the profession’s schools, they already are). However, the law of this land was wrong when it allowed slavery and needed a long, terrible war to end it (although many in the south still maintain that it would have died out eventually, without the War, because it violated our core/founding principle of Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
The CCE rejected the authority of BJ. But even before the CCE that rejection of BJ’s authority existed. When the CCE had sufficient political power and numbers that they could finally do something about it, they did. However it was not until (thanks to the ICA [TSC] circa 1976) that they were able to complete their effort. An attempt was made by the straight chiropractic “movement” to thwart their attempt but like the south’s effort in the War between the States, it was too little too late.The straight movement mistakenly believed that the other straight schools like the Palmers, the Clevelands, the Lifes and other historically straight schools would join Sherman and PCSC. It was like the South thinking the “border” states and some other states like Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and some of the western states might join them based upon upon “states rights”. After all, it was the understanding that when originally formed, the United States was joined by option and secession was also optional.(even today California and Texas have discussed secession) In both cases they (the South and the straight movement) were wrong!
Time for some ironic history which I maybe one of the few who recall.
chiropractic was an alternative approach to getting sick people well, one without drugs and surgery It probably existed in the minds of many from the very beginning of the profession.
In the early 1900s Elmer Willis Hicks attended both DDs and BJs schools. He then went on to what I believe was called the Fulner (sp) School of Medicine. I am uncertain of the dates but he was arrested by the state for practicing medicine without a license before there was a chiropractic law. (This was motivated by the zealous desire of the National boys to keep Palmer docs out of the state). The irony is that the good Dr Hicks was mostly a chiropractor. When he went on trial they asked him if what he was doing was practicing medicine and he blew them out of the water when he said it was not and supported it by the fact he had attended medical school. The irony comes in with the fact that Illinois Chiropractic law was the later delineated on the lines of his argument that it was the practice of medicine that involved neither drugs or surgery. Only the government can define something by what it is not. I gave his book, which was on the subject of healthy eating, to Palmer – hopefully they kept it…..
Thank you for that historical account, Dr. Hollensed. My question would be why did Dr. Hicks go to medical school after attending Palmer’s chiropractic school, any conjecture? It would seem to me that there were two possible reasons,either he wanted to practice chiropractic and medicine or he wanted to practice chiropractic but not suffer the attacks of the legal/medical community. Thoughts?
Dr. Hicks went to both Palmer schools. I think you went to medical school as you conjecture to avoid persecution. I think it haunted him the rest of his life that he was the reason for the definition of Chiropractic in Illinois