Deafness, Chiropractic care, and a Black American Business Owner in 1895

In 1895, there was a doctor by the name of Daniel David "D.D." Palmer who thought he had the cure for Deafness by chiropractic care. How so?

Mr. Harvey Lillard, a deaf, African-American owner/janitor of a janitorial company that maintained the building in which Dr Palmer was an occupant, came to the doctor complaining of back pain and hearing loss. As doctors do, Dr. Palmer commenced asking questions (eg: how long have you had this problem, what was the onset of this problem, etc--nothing stipulates HOW this communication took place). Lillard explained that he had been deaf or had a hearing loss for approximately 17 years. The incident: "in a stooped position, he heard something 'pop' in his spine and immediately suffered a loss of most of his hearing."


"Palmer felt that Lillard's hearing loss was due to a blockage of the spinal nerves which control the inner ear. Ultimately, this nerve blockage and bone misalignment 'vertebral subluxations', lessend the body's ability to function by disrupting communication over the nerve system. When Palmer corrected the misalignment by pushing the vertebrae back into place, the nerve pathways were reopened and thus Lillard's hearing was restored. "

Supposedly Dr Palmer adjusted Mr. Lillard's back and, Viola!, hearing restored. Dr. Palmer reportedly THOUGHT he had a cure for deafness. However, this was untrue. He reopened pathways for the pathological hearing loss to be restored.

For me this was an interesting find. First of all because some sources claim Mr. Lillard (African-American in 1895) was the owner of a janitorial company. Secondly, this is supposedly the first instance of chiropractic care. Thirdly, this is a good example of the difference between Deaf and deaf.

What is the difference? If a person is Deaf, the focus is their culture (residential schools, visual language for communication, a social network of people who use sign language, thinking "Deaf" etc). Yet if a person is deaf, their focus is hearing loss.


Please note, I am NOT an expert on anything noted here. This is just interesting information that was brought to my attention thanks to Chiropractor, Dr. Graux in Bowie, MD.

Details of this story were from: http://www.drjagger.com/lillard.html

Thanks for visiting!