HISTORY OF NAPRAPATHY, FOUNDER OF NAPRAPATHY OAKLEY SMITH (1880-1967)

“Look well for the spine for the cause of disease”
Hippocrates

Naprapathy was developed over 100 years ago in the USA by Dr Oakley Smith, a student of D.D. Palmer, the founder of Chiropractic.

Smith grew up in West Branch, Iowa, USA. In his short Autobiography (1) he writes:

” I was stubby, chubby, healthy, and as strong as a young ox. My stubbiness drew to me the nickname of "Stub", and stayed with me until after I suffered an attack of scarlet fever, which changed my whole physical make-up. The aftermath of the scarlet fever left me skinny, pale, puny, and I remained that way for the next sixteen years. My parents did not accept my fragile condition "sitting down". They constantly did everything in their power to restore my state of health. They never gave up. They were not the giving-up type. When I was five or six, I was taken to the great Dr Hauser, the out standing medical doctor in the adjacent town of Iowa City. What I best remember about Dr Hauser is that the medicine he had me take was most distasteful, just plain nasty. I was to take a spoonful of it three times a day. It resulted in no benefit to me. My paleness, weakness and puniness remained.

Because no help was found the parents thought that a different climate may be healthy. When young Oakley was 11 the family moved to Eugene, Oregon. No improvement was made and after two years the family moved back to Iowa.

About 1893 the family moved to Iowa City when his parents heard of Doctor Newbury and a new treatment called homeopathy. Two years on homeopathic medicine produced no results.

Then the parents hear about a drug free treatment called Osteopathy. A long train journey to Kirksville, Missisippi followed. There Smith took treatment by two osteopaths during a long time but no improvement was noticed.

Then the parents heard of another drug free treatment called Chiropractic. The journey went to nearby Davenport. D D Palmer said that he could cure Smith. Palmer manipulated the spine. Smith took treatments for five months six days a week and a little improvement was made but only lasted a short time.

Smith writes: I awakened one morning which, according to the calendar, was February 1, 1899. It was my brother Horton's birthday. As I was awakening a thought came to my mind. I remember well, even to this day, that I found l myself thinking to myself, if there can 't anyone or anybody find out what the matter is with me and how to treat and cure me, I shall find out myself.

In the fall of 1899 - I was 19 - I enrolled as a special student at the Medical School, University of Iowa. One might say I was a "free-lance" student. I took classes in anatomy, physiology and dissection. I also attended classes and took voluminous notes in each class--, in histology, pathology, materia medica, and witnessed approximately two or three
hundred surgical operations. I recited in anatomy, physiology and dissection, but did not recite and was not called upon, in the other classes.

Smith studied medicine for two years only to find out how to cure himself. His brother Horton studied engineering at the same university.

“One day I said to Horton, ´I want you to give me a treatment. I'll originate what you are to do. Your job will be just to do it´. I discovered it was just as natural for me to originate or create new kinds of manipulative treatment as it must be for a composer to create new music. I placed a pillow under my hip, one under my chest, and I lay on the floor, and said, ´Hort, I want you to put your hands on my back and I want you to push, pull and twist my vertebra in accordance with my instructions’.

I had no difficulty at all in getting Horton to cooperate with me and give me whatever kind of manipulative treatment I originated for him to give. I would say, ‘Now, Hort, that twist was too much’, or, `Hort, you didn' t push hard enough’, or, Hort, you pushed too hard’, or, ‘Hort, make you' push, pull or twist in such-and-such a direction’. At each treatment I found myself originating an entirely new kind of manipulative technique. Techniques and methods never used on me by the osteopath or chiropractor. I was not trying to build a new profession, I was just trying to get myself cured. Horton gave me a treatment every day five days a week. I had him keep that up during all the time I was in medical school and while he was studying civil engineering. Within two or three months my paleness began to subside. My cold hands and feet began to take on warmness. My vitality began to rise. I was getting cured. Before my brother had reached the time when he was to graduate and leave home. I had become the happy recipient of the most wonderful cure I ever heard of. I became so energetic and so well that I could work al l day and way into the night.

I had become the recipient of a miracle, and I was making use of that miracle. Then ambition hit me. Under the guise of working out a method of treatment that would help me, I had unexpectedly created a brand new health profession. Eventually I coined the name NAPRAPATHY for this new profession.”

Smith writes about his discovery of the ligatight: “At 11.45 on the historic night of November 16, 1905, I saw something through the microscope that gave me a thrill of thrills. What I saw was a scar tissue knot located within the ligament which I had removed from the spinal column of a cadaver which I was dissecting. That scar tissue was connected with nearby nerves, arteries and veins. l instantly realized the importance of that discovery. I was so happy that all by myself I danced a jig.”

Smith finishes his autobiography by saying:
“The years from the time I was 20, which was when my health had been Naprapathically restored as indicated in the aforementioned story. My high degree of energy and vitality enabled me to put in 17 and 18 hours a day seven days a week for the next 50 years, 52 weeks a year. This seems impossible, but it is positively true and can be attested to by those who have been associated with me all these years.”

After having recovered his health he started to treat patients. He met bohemian migrants who had knowledge of the tradition of treating the spine. He also went to Bohemia to further study their technique. Coming back to the USA he joined Drs Solon Langworthy and Minora Paxson at the new and second ever Chiropractic school, American School of Chiropractic and Nature Cure in Cedar Rapids in Iowa. All three of them were students of Palmer. In 1906 they published the first ever book about chiropractic called Modernized Chiropractic (2). This was shortly before Smith coined the word Naprapathy.

In 1905, before finding the ligatight, Smith tested Palmer’s subluxation theory. He built a Situmounter[EK1] , (2,3) an instrument by which he could examine joint movements in cadavers. The result was a blow to him. This convinced him that Palmer´s theory was wrong and made him search for the real cause of disease. Smith then turned his attention to the connective tissues, especially to the ligaments. Also in 1905 he started to develop chartology. (4)

Smith also wrote[EK2] about the sound that can be heard when manipulating. “The ´crack’, ‘pop’ or ‘give’ that was noticed under Osteopathic, Chiropractic, or any forcible manipulation of a joint is the result of breaking of the vacuum of that joint, and does not indicate that subluxation was present or that an adjustment has taken place.” (3)

Smith worked for years with hundreds of patients to research damaged connective tissue. He spoke about “The [EK3] Connective Tissue Cause of Disease”. (5, 6)

He developed The Naprapathic Triple-C Principle [EK4] (3) which consist of the Causite-chardosis-correctoplan basis of action for the cure of disease.

Causite is primary pathology from which arise local symptoms and remote symptoras which are secondary symptoms arising at a different [EK5] than the primary pathology. Smith emphasised the importance of treating causite. He mean that the benefit of treating symptora is transient and incomplete.

Chardosis stands for chartered diagnosis. It is the special naprapathic method of documenting the examination findings.

Correctoplan is the treatment plan determined with help of the chardosis. It aims to remove the causite. He means that the use of a natural remedy is not a correctoplan. “A[EK6] true cure of disease will occur only as a result of the overcoming of the causite.” (5)

He also stated that naprapathic treatment is not limited to manipulation but may include diet, light, water treatments and other.

In 1907 Smith started Chicago College of Naprapathy. The study was two years. Anatomy was considered important and was studied 1000 hours which was more than the medical students did. The students practised at the local Cook Country Hospital [EK7] which may be taken as a sign that the school had a good reputation.

In 1919 [EK8] Smith published The Connective Tissue Monograph, Connectiviology vol. 1. (5, 6) He points out the differences between Chiropractic and Osteopathy vs Naprapathy. “… the basic pathologic principle of Osteopathy …and ... of Chiropractic … rests on the subluxation or bony displacement. Whereas the basic principle of Naprapathy rest on the Connective Tissue Cause of Disease” i e scar tissue. He continues: “The basic principle of treatment of Osteopathy … and … of Chiropractic is likewise bony adjustment. Whereas the basic principle of Naprapathy is stretching of connective tissue.”

In 1932 Smith published Naprapathic genetics where Smith again clearly states that he does not accept the basis of Osteopathy or Chiropractic by starting the book:

Naprapathy started as a reaction against:

1. The erroneous subluxation and adjustment principle and the chartless methods of Chiropractic and Osteopathy.

2. The artificial procedure of medicine and surgery where natural methods properly applied would be more effective.

In 1949 a new school started in Chicago, National College of Naprapathy. In 1971 the two merged into Chicago National College of Naprapathy. Today the school is called National College of Naprapathic Medicine.

Naprapathy was brought to Europe by Björn Jonsson, later Björn J:son Berg, in the 1960-ies. He started the Stockholm Naprapathic School in 1970. In 1994 naprapaths were licensed in Sweden. Naprapaths are licenced also in USA and Finland but not yet in Norway.

References:

1. Smith, Oakley; Autobiography of Oakley Smith. Published by Chicago College of Naprapathy (1966).

2. Smith, Oakley; Langworthy, Solon; Paxson, Minora C, Modernized Chiropractic, a Text Book volume 1 + 2 (1906) pp. 27

3. Smith, Naprapathic genetics, (1932) pp. 11, 8, 14-15, 32

4. Smith, Oakley; Naprapathic chartology, (1917)

5. Skillgate, Eva et al Naprapatins grunder (2009) pp. 28, 39, 8-9, 121

6. Smith, Oakley; The connective tissue monograph: Naprapathic connectivology vol 1 (1919)

7. Ref. 2 and 3 where re-published 2007 with the title The History of Naprapathic Medicine Vol. 1 and 2.