DD was a magnetic healer who furthered his studies on the human body, as he believed that healing came from within the person. At this time DD studied the nervous system and the connection the brain had with the rest of the body by the pathways of the nerves.

DD performed the first chiropractic adjustment on his custodian, Harvey Lillard. During his time as a custodian, Harvey had a large object fall onto his head, leaving him hearing impaired for 12 years of his adult life. Dr. DD Palmer analyzed Harvey’s spine, in which he determined there was a spinal misalignment in the neck region.

DD delivered the first specific, chiropractic adjustment to Harvey’s neck in 1895, in which Harvey’s hearing was completely restored. It was at this time chiropractic was born, as the true cause of healing comes from above, down, from inside, out.

BJ Palmer is the son of DD Palmer. He followed his father’s footsteps forging the way for the chiropractic profession. BJ is known as the developer of chiropractic, as he is the man we have to thank for so many of the chiropractic adjusting techniques.

BJ is the one that forged the way for the Palmer School of Chiropractic and began assessing and correcting vertebral subluxations of the upper neck area. He is the one that developed the Upper Cervical Technique that many chiropractors continue to focus on today.

BJ Palmer was a world traveler, visiting many different countries and cultures. He brought back many different animals and unique finds from his journeys back home to the Palmer Mansion that still stands and can be toured in Davenport, Iowa. He worked alongside his lovely wife, Mabel Palmer.

Mabel Palmer was the wife of BJ Palmer. She was the first female chiropractor and known as the “First Lady of Chiropractic.”

Mabel focused many of her studies in the dissection of anatomy, as she wrote the first anatomy textbook for chiropractic students.

She taught anatomy for four decades at the Palmer School of Chiropractic that her husband, BJ, advanced from his father’s beginnings.

She also started the first sorority within the chiropractic profession, and that same sorority is still in operation in Davenport, Iowa at the Palmer College of Chiropractic.

She and BJ had one son, David Palmer, who was later known as the Educator within the Palmer Lineage.