That They May Walk Again: A History of Chiropractic's Fight Against Polio

GLENDA WIESE

Introduction: The first half of the 20th century was plagued by the poliomyelitis epidemic. Franklin Roosevelt was the highest-profile victim and did much to publicise the plight of polio victims, most of whom were children. Sister Kenny from Australia also became a household name because of her success in treating the victims of paralysis. Medicine, chiropractic, and other manual therapies rallied to find a cure and prevention for the dreaded affliction. This paper gives a brief review of polio and presents an account of chiropractic efforts in addressing the polio epidemic. Methods: The author identified the literature by searching PubMed, EbscoHost, WorldCat, the Index to Chiropractic Literature, and the Palmer College Online catalogue databases. The sources were then reviewed and a summary of articles analysed. Results: As early as 1909, success in treating victims of polio was reported in the chiropractic literature, and chiropractors wrote frequently on the subject of polio during the 1930s through the 1950s. Techniques for care during the acute phase of the disease, rehabilitation of victims, testimonials by patients reporting positive outcomes of chiropractic care, and theories of prevention were topics receiving chiropractic attention. After introduction of the Salk and Sabin vaccines, articles on polio appeared less frequently in the chiropractic literature, with most warning against the side effects of the vaccines. In the late 1980s, the literature addressed post-polio syndrome and chiropractic’s positive results. Discussion: The chiropractic focus on polio was largely unnoticed or undocumented by the mainstream and scientific press. The author asserts that the profession’s positive contributions would have had a higher profile resulting in the potential of helping more victims of polio if chiropractic successes had been published in the peer-reviewed, indexed literature. This paper is intended to help ameliorate the lack of access to documentation of the chiropractic contribution to the fight against polio.

INDEX TERMS: CHIROPRACTIC/HISTORY; HISTORY; 20TH CENTURY; POLIOMYELITIS/HISTORY; POLIOMYELITIS/PREVENTION & CONTROL; POLIOVIRUS VACCINES/HISTORY.

Chiropr J Aust 2005; 35:42-56.

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What Early Chiropractors "Treated"

ROLF E. PETERS and MARY ANN CHANCE

Chiropractic in Australia today is a registered profession with portal of entry status and deals primarily with musculoskeletal conditions, particularly mechanical low back pain and cervicogenic headaches. This paper attempts to determine what types of cases our pioneer chiropractors managed. It was found that although chiropractors were few in numbers and therefore relatively unknown, they successfully managed a wide range of cases, usually after medical intervention, often by specialists, had failed.

INDEX TERMS: CHIROPRACTIC; AUSTRALIA; HISTORICAL ARTICLE.

Chiropr J Aust 2005; 35:57-70.

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Thirty Years of Chiropractic Education at RMIT University: The Consolidation Period: 1979-1999

PHILLIP EBRALL and TOM MOLYNEUX

This is the second paper in a series providing descriptive reportage of the history of the chiropractic education program now at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. The first paper examined the pre-establishment period before the program commenced in 1975 and the establishment from 1975 to 1978. This paper describes a 20-year span from 1979 to 1999 that the authors have termed the Consolidation Period. This period commenced with the first graduating classes from the new program in 1979 and ended with the resignation and departure from the program of Professor Andries Kleynhans in December 1999. During the period the ICC program cemented its relationship with Preston Institute, which underwent merger in 1982 to become Phillip Institute, which in turn underwent merger in 1992 to become RMIT University. All student places in the program became funded by government in 1982, and in 1984 the ACCE granted full unconditional member status to the program. In 1986 ACCE achieved reciprocity with CCE, and this led to the status of full international equivalency for the program. In retrospect, the 20-year Consolidation Period was a roller-coaster ride with highs such as accreditation, postgraduate students and the establishment of the Japan program, and lows that largely centred on staff workloads, an environment of constant change, and a sense of disempowerment and isolation from decision-making at many levels that affected the program.

INDEX TERMS: MeSH: CHIROPRACTIC. Other: DERIFIELD-THOMPSON LEG LENGTH CHECK

Chiropr J Aust 2005; 16-20.

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