The Religion of Chiropractic

“This brilliant and easily readable book may well become the standard for the treatment of the origins of chiropractic and its relationship with religion and spirituality for years to come.” — Reading Religion

“Very well written and organised.” — Medical History

"Will be of interest to members of the chiropractic profession . . . but also to those interested in the history of medicine and those who examine sociological contexts. . . . Provocative and interesting.” — Doody’s Notes

“Her coverage of the chiropractors’ metaphysical views makes for fascinating reading.” — The Annals of Iowa

“Folk has given us a rich, carefully drawn out, and historically grounded account of chiropractic’s origin myt . . . . Through it all, Folk mounts a convincing case for the ways in which medicine, religion, and politics have been and remain deeply interconnected.”—Journal of the American Academy of Religion

“Religion of Chiropractic should be required reading for every student and practitioner of chiropractic, and highly recommended for every patient and healthcare provider or institution that interacts, or is considering engagement, with chiropractic. The book is written in an accessible, sometimes colloquial, style suitable for undergraduates and general readers, while also offering specialists precise information. The book is to be commended—and purchased.”—Journal of the History of Medicine

“Folk deftly places chiropratic within the context of nineteenth-century alternative medicine. . . . The book is a veritable compendium of the most influential alternative mental and physical healers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the United States.”—Nova Religio

“Offering fascinating insights into the chiropractic movement, its leaders, changing etiologies, and wider significance, Holly Folk provides a robust and original interpretation of the chiropractic narratives. With the fascinating and sometimes bizarre stories of the Palmer family here set into an argument of broad interest to scholars of religion and lay readers alike, I find myself thinking about the Palmers through the lens of today’s manifestations of populist rhetoric.” — Pamela Klassen, University of Toronto

“Examining the spiritual elements that are foundational to chiropractic, as well as the physical practices for which chiropractic is best known, Holly Folk’s critical history of chiropractic sets out new and previously uncharted territory within the larger context of American alternative medicine.” — Timothy Miller, University of Kansas