Did you know that chiropractic dates back to the time of Hippocrates? Remember he was the "father of medicine". He stated; "Look well to the spine for the cause of dis-ease". He believed that if the spine was misaligned, it could interfere with the health of the individual. A couple thousand years and more than a couple thousand research papers later, we now know why manipulation of the spine can have a positive effect on health.
The modern day school of chiropractic in the US dates back to 1895, when Dr. Daniel Palmer adjusted a man that had lost his hearing 17 years prior. The story goes that prior to losing his hearing the man had heard something pop in his neck. Upon the adjustment of the man's misaligned vertebrae his hearing was restored. At the time, Dr. Palmer was doing experiments in "magnetic healing" which is something many medical researchers are looking into now, but he became enthused about this "chiropractic" (latin for done with the hands) method.
While the medical community criticized this new technique for healing the body, the people who followed in these footsteps found an amazing new way of dealing with illness and disease. At a time when medical doctors were still utilizing leaches for bloodletting and other ineffective practices that have gone by the wayside, Dr. Palmer's theories were a breath of fresh air. His son B.J Palmer expanded on his theories as research continued and the family founded the largest school for chiropractors in the US. The family also owned the first radio station west of the Mississippi and hired a young sports announcer named Ronald Reagan who went on to do some pretty amazing things. If not for the persistance and dedication of the Palmers and many other chiropractic pioneers who were persecuted and maligned for doing what they knew to be helpful for people suffering and in pain , the millions of people today who enjoy the life changing benefits of chiropractic may never have had this opportunity. A wonderful documentary on chiropractic called "From Simple Beginnings" is a great view of what these people went through to protect the chiropractic profession and actually has some personal friends and mentors of Dr. Geiger and Dr. Johnson in it.