The lay patient and the ignorant public are inclined to give credit for results obtained to the best known method used upon them. Thus in spite of the fact that Chiropractic alone obtains a far greater percentage of results than any other combination of methods, the patient is prone to believe that the change of diet or the massage effected a cure and to overlook entirely the least pleasant part of his “treatment,” the adjustment. He does not understand and cannot understand with a mind divided for the consideration of several methods, the connection of the spine with his disease. Often he fails to understand if Chiropractic is used alone but he is forced to conclude that the spine has such connection because adjustment of the spine cured him.
The use of adjuncts has done more to hold back the advance of the profession in the public mind than any other single factor except ignorance within the profession. Furthermore, the Chiropractor who knows that he can rely upon various other methods if his adjustment fails does not feel impelled to study his Chiropractic as he should. He weakens in practice, relying more and more upon adjuncts.
It has been repeatedly proven that the Chiropractor who uses only Chiropractic becomes the better practitioner by necessity. It has also proven that the man who is expert in Chiropractic needs nothing else, providing only that he refuses those cases to which Chiropractic cannot apply at all.
The only real problem in Chiropractic is the problem of adjustment. All failures may be attributed either to lack of knowledge and proper application of Chiropractic or to the fact that the patient has not vitality enough to recover from the disease. Do not shift the responsibility for failure upon the system, since with one or two exceptions every known disease has been cured by some Chiropractor, thus proving its possibility. Realize that the work can be done and that its doing depends upon your own skill in diagnosis and technic.
It is inevitable that at some future time Chiropractic will be used in connection with other beneficial methods which will enable us to get results sooner, though not more surely. It is also inevitable that Chiropractic will fail to receive its proper place among healing methods unless we force the world to believe in it as we believe; to know it as we know it. If we develop our system in its purity until it obtains general recognition at its true valuation we shall have accomplished an infinite good for humanity for all time.
We should endeavor to accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number, laboring rather for the ultimate recognition of the subluxation theory and its application at its real value than for immediate slight good or personal gain.
Personality
He who would succeed in Chiropractic must have, in addition to a thorough education in his profession, a proper personality. This is the medium through which his education becomes effective, the channel through which he reaches the public, gaining their confidence and approval that he may utilize his knowledge to their good. Many skillful and well-educated practitioners have failed because they lacked the proper personal qualities for attracting patients.