How a Doctor Discovered Chiropractic

How a Doctor Discovered Chiropractic

The Autopsies of Dr. Winsor

The medical profession has been postponing the research of chiropractic, but Henry Winsor, a physician from Haverford, Pennsylvania, believed that more research should be conducted on chiropractic.

“I wonder how chiropractors can achieve such good results,” he would get excited.

Chiropractors claim that by “adjusting” the fifth dorsal vertebra, between the shoulder blades, they can cure ailments and stomach ulcers. “Adjusting” a lumbar vertebra can help with menstrual pain/spasms. “Adjusting” the fifth cervical vertebra can alleviate thyroid pain and so on, for kidney diseases, constipation, heart diseases, lung diseases, and many other ailments.

But how can they do it?

We, the doctors, criticize them, but what if they have actually discovered a new way to cure diseases without drugs (medications)?

After graduating as a physician, Dr. Winsor researched chiropractic literature and felt encouraged to conduct the following experiment.

To dissect human and animal cadavers to see if there was any relationship between any diseased internal organ examined during the autopsy and the corresponding vertebrae of the nerves going to those organs.

As Dr. Winsor wrote: “The purpose of this autopsy (dissection) was to determine whether there was any connection between the minor curvatures of the spine and the diseased organs; or whether the curvatures and the organs were completely independent of each other.”

If chiropractors are correct in their theory, then a misaligned vertebra that obstructs a nerve going to the kidneys could weaken the kidneys and that could cause kidney diseases. If the theory were incorrect, then a misalignment of the “vertebra corresponding to the kidneys” would not create any problems in the kidneys. The University of Pennsylvania granted Dr. Winsor permission to carry out his experiments. In a series of three studies, he dissected a total of 65 human cadavers and 22 cat cadavers.

What Did the Autopsies Reveal?

Was there a relationship between diseased organs and the spine? Here are the results from Dr. Winsor:
“… 221 different structures of the spine were found to be diseased. It was observed that 212 of these structures were related to the nerves of those vertebrae and had greater degeneration.

Nine diseased organs belonged to different segments of the sympathetic system of the misaligned vertebrae. One cannot expect these figures to match exactly… as one organ may receive filaments from the sympathetic from various segments of the spine and several organs may be supplied with filaments from the sympathetic (nerves) from the same segments of the spine.”

In other words, there was a correlation of almost 100% between the “minor curves” of the spine and diseases of the internal organs. Let’s examine some of these categories of diseases:

Stomach Diseases: In 9 cases of stomach disease, all had misalignments in the mid dorsal or thoracic spine (between the shoulders and shoulder blades).

Lung Disease: In 20 cases of lung disease, there were misalignments in the upper dorsal region (the part just below the nape).

Liver Diseases: 13 cases of liver disease were related to the lower mid dorsal region.

Gallbladder Stones: 5 cases of gallbladder stone disease were related to spinal misalignment.

Pancreas Diseases: 13 cases of pancreas disease were related to the corresponding spinal misalignment.

Bladder Disease: 11 cases of bladder disease were related to the corresponding spinal misalignment.

Kidney Diseases: In 17 cases of kidney disease, there was misalignment in the lower thoracic vertebrae.

Prostate and Bladder Disease: In 8 cases of prostate and bladder disease, there was misalignment in the lower back vertebrae (specifically the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lumbar vertebrae).

Uterine Diseases: In 2 cases of uterine ailments, there was misalignment of the second lumbar vertebra.

Heart Disease: In all 20 cases of heart and pericardial diseases, there was misalignment of the five upper thoracic vertebrae.

Thymus Disease: In 2 cases of thymus disease, there were misalignments in the lower nape and upper back.

In conclusion:
Dr. Winsor’s results were published in the respected medical journal The Medical Times, and they can also be found in any medical library.

Conclusion

Dr. Winsor was not alone in his discoveries, as similar studies conducted by other researchers in the following decades confirmed his initial conclusions: “A well-aligned spine is essential for the good health of the body.”

Although many doctors ignore the relationship between the spine and disease, the medical literature is filled with many experiments that prove the theory and effectiveness of chiropractic. An unhealthy spine can cause diseases in many parts of the body, and its chiropractic examination and adjustment can help in the treatment and prevention of diseases and ailments.