Why Can't This Profession Get Organized?
Dr. Chris G. Dalrymple D.C., F.I.C.C., TCA, Internal Affairs Department
Published 12/24/2009
- 12:50 p.m. CDT
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Has there ever been a strong effort to organize the profession? Dr.
Dalrymple looks at a bit of history on chiropractic unity in the first
of a series of questions and answers that the TCA frequently comes
across.
We welcome additions and corrections to help make these answers as good as they can be.
Has there ever been a strong effort to organize the profession?
Chiropractic was "born" in 1895. It took about 10 years for a practitioner to get to Texas. For another 10 years it gained in popularity, and then for about 35 years it struggled within the courts and halls of government. So, it seems that for the first 55 years or so the chiropractic profession had "no" real organization.
In 1916 chiropractors recognized the need to band together for assistance, protection and growth. Eight charter members founded the Texas State Chiropractic Association and quickly acquired nineteen other doctors. For the next 30 years the TSCA worked to assist, protect, and grow the chiropractic profession in Texas. These chiropractors managed to get licensing laws passed and then struggled when these laws, spearheaded by the Texas Medical Association, were overturned through the court systems.
The Texas State Chiropractic Association and the Texas Chiropractic Research Society combined into the Texas Chiropractic association in the late 1940s and passed a licensing bill that could stand the tests of the judicial system. It seemed that chiropractic finally had a profession legally separate from, but not viewed as "equal to", allopathic medicine.
After another 20 years or so, the profession split between differences of opinion between Dr. B. J. Palmer and others, and the result of this split is the profession diverging into the ACA/ICA, and the TCA/CST, and ultimately other groups.
Chiropractic has had a political organization since 1916; it has had an effective licensing law since 1949; we unified the chiropractic associations in the early 40's; We currently have Texas legal statute defining our profession, and the Texas administrative code determines the particulars of our profession, and there are state and national professional associations of various and diverse opinions.
Therefore to be generally, rather than historically, accurate not for the first 55 years was the profession organized. There was then organization, for some 30 years, culminating in the unification of the profession to acquire what it needed. This unification lasted for about a decade, when the profession diverged in its "organization" for the past 45 years or so.
The chiropractic profession is HIGHLY organized. There is an organization for just about every type of professional interest: there are specialty programs; there are national associations of multiple "flavors"; there are state associations of various kinds; there are political groups catering to every diversity.
The profession's weakness is found in the directions the various organizations move. As cliche as it sounds, a group divided against itself cannot long stand. It is factual to say:
Perhaps what the profession needs is to look for ways that we may work together to achieve gains for the profession and our patients rather than looking for ways in which we are different and how we might achieve self glorification.
We welcome additions and corrections to help make these answers as good as they can be.
Has there ever been a strong effort to organize the profession?
Chiropractic was "born" in 1895. It took about 10 years for a practitioner to get to Texas. For another 10 years it gained in popularity, and then for about 35 years it struggled within the courts and halls of government. So, it seems that for the first 55 years or so the chiropractic profession had "no" real organization.
In 1916 chiropractors recognized the need to band together for assistance, protection and growth. Eight charter members founded the Texas State Chiropractic Association and quickly acquired nineteen other doctors. For the next 30 years the TSCA worked to assist, protect, and grow the chiropractic profession in Texas. These chiropractors managed to get licensing laws passed and then struggled when these laws, spearheaded by the Texas Medical Association, were overturned through the court systems.
The Texas State Chiropractic Association and the Texas Chiropractic Research Society combined into the Texas Chiropractic association in the late 1940s and passed a licensing bill that could stand the tests of the judicial system. It seemed that chiropractic finally had a profession legally separate from, but not viewed as "equal to", allopathic medicine.
After another 20 years or so, the profession split between differences of opinion between Dr. B. J. Palmer and others, and the result of this split is the profession diverging into the ACA/ICA, and the TCA/CST, and ultimately other groups.
Chiropractic has had a political organization since 1916; it has had an effective licensing law since 1949; we unified the chiropractic associations in the early 40's; We currently have Texas legal statute defining our profession, and the Texas administrative code determines the particulars of our profession, and there are state and national professional associations of various and diverse opinions.
Therefore to be generally, rather than historically, accurate not for the first 55 years was the profession organized. There was then organization, for some 30 years, culminating in the unification of the profession to acquire what it needed. This unification lasted for about a decade, when the profession diverged in its "organization" for the past 45 years or so.
The chiropractic profession is HIGHLY organized. There is an organization for just about every type of professional interest: there are specialty programs; there are national associations of multiple "flavors"; there are state associations of various kinds; there are political groups catering to every diversity.
The profession's weakness is found in the directions the various organizations move. As cliche as it sounds, a group divided against itself cannot long stand. It is factual to say:
- When the profession has been weakly unified it has historically had weak results.
- When the profession has been strongly unified it has had its greatest success.
- When the profession is seeking self gain rather than professional gain results are mixed.
Perhaps what the profession needs is to look for ways that we may work together to achieve gains for the profession and our patients rather than looking for ways in which we are different and how we might achieve self glorification.
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