biography

Palmer was born in Pickering Ontario to his mother Katherine McVay and Thomas Palmer. At the sge of twenty he moved to the United States with his family. D.D. Palmer went through jobs before he started to study chiropractic. He worked as a beekeeper, grocery store owner, school teacher, and had an interest in the various health phillosophies of his day, such as magnetic healing, and spiritulism. Magnetic healing was the first practice studied for Palmer.

While working as a magnetic healer in Davenport, Iowa. Palmer discovered a janitor who had a palpable lump in his back and was also deaf. He guessed that the lump and his deafness was related. After a preport of successful restoration of the man's hearing, it led to the beginning of Chiropractic history. His theories revolved around the concept that altered nerve flow was the cause of all diseases, and that things that are out of place in the spine or back can have an affect on the nerve flow. D.D. Palmer found that restoring these displacements to their proper place can restore health.

Palmer found a school based on his work called the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1897. By 1902 the school had graduated 15 chiropractors. In 1906, palmer was charged under the new medical arts law in Iowa for practicing medicine without a licence. He chose to go to jail instead of paying the fine.He lasted 17 days then paid the fine. Palmer sold his school to his son B.J. Palmer for $2,196.79.

In August 1913, during a founders day parade in Davenport, D.D. was marching on foot and was struck behind by a car driven by BJ. Others seen BJ do it and others claim it wasn't him. D.D Palmer died that day from typhoid fever, others believe it was because of his injuries.