Consider the 1918 Flu Pandemic: That strain killed an astounding 10 million people worldwide in 6 months. New data suggest that number more accurately should be 20 million.
'Old timer' Chiropractors around the country at this time repeated the same refrain: "I was about to go out of business when the flu epidemic came...but when it was over, I was firmly established in practice."
Why? The answer is reasonably simple. Chiropractors got fantastic results from influenza patients while those under medical care died like flies all around. Chiropractic became licensed shortly thereafter in many states as a direct result of these successes.
The national statistics speak for themselves:
1. In Davenport, Iowa, 50 Medical Doctors treated 4,953 cases, with 274 deaths. In the same city, 150 Chiropractors including students and faculty of the Palmer School of Chiropractic, treated 1,635 cases with only 1 death.
2. In the state of Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths - a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by Chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases - a loss of 1 patient out of every 789.
3. National figures show that 1,142 Chiropractors treated 46,394 patients for infuenza during 1918, with a loss of 54 patients - 1 out of every 886.
4. Reports show that in New York City, during the infuenza epidemic of 1918, out of every 10,000 cases medically treated, 950 died; and in every 10,000 pneumonia cases medically treated 6,400 died. In the same epidemic, under drugless methods, only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases; and only 100 patients died of pneumonia out of every 10,000 cases.
This comparison is made more striking by the following table:
Influenza
Cases Deaths
Under Medical Methods 10,000 950
Under Drugess Methods 10,000 25
Pneumonia
Cases Deaths
Under Medical Methods 10,000 6,400
Under Drugless Methods 10,000 100
The epidemic reports in Oklahoma show that Chiropractors treated 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths. But the best part of this is, in Oklahoma there is a clear record showing that Chiropractors were called in 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients, and finally gave them up as lost. The Chiropractors saved all these lost cases but 25.
Statistics alone do not put in the human element that is needed to spark the material properly. Dr. S.T. McMurrain, a Chiropractor, had a makeshift table installed in the Influenza ward in Base Hospital No. 84 unit stationed in Perigau, in Southwestern France during World War 1. The Medical Officer in charge sent all influenza patients in for chiropractic adjustments from Dr. McMurrain for the several months the epidemic raged in that area. Lt. Col. McNaughton, the detachment commander, was so impressed he requested to have Dr. McMurrain commissioned in the Sanitary Corps.
Chiropractic had its beginning, not in treating pain-related problems, but in boosting patients' immune systems to avoid and fight off infection. We can take this lesson into 2013. Allow us to help you attain Synchrony of your Structure and Function of your health. We do this by optimizing your body's frame to be strong and stable. We do this by improving the make up of your body's nutrition. The result: Your body will be better ready to defend itself naturally from outside infections. Call or email us to schedule a Structural and Nutritional Assessment so we can construct a Healthy Action Plan for you and your family.
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