The upper or cephalic peripheral nerves, called cranial, leave the skull by foramina in its base (except the auditory) and are so protected by the immobility of the bones of the skull as to be comparatively free from direct injury. Peripheral injuries occur to cranial nerves but are repairable; even section of the trigeminal for neuralgia is usually followed after an interval by a reunion of the severed parts. As will be shown later, the special end organs of the cranial nerves are not free from the effects of spinal subluxation and their nuclei (deep origins) often share in morbid changes in the brain tissue due to nutritional disturbances.
The sympathetic portion of the nervous system might be classed with the cranial as regards infrequency of permanent interference were it not for the proximity of the great gangliated cord to the transverse processes and bodies of the vertebrae. This proximity renders it liable to sustain permanent impingement in vertebral subluxation.
Trauma Affects Spinal Nerves
With the exception of the first pair of Cervical nerves and the Sacral and Coccygeal, all spinal nerves pass through foramina of exit which are composed each of two movable vertebrae. The Chiropractic hypothesis is based upon the discovery that in addition to the part these vertebrae may take in general movements of the spine it is possible that their relation to each other may be changed by the application of force from without, and that this change once produced tends to remain permanently. These permanent vertebral subluxations occur with great frequency, a fact clinically demonstrable by palpation and by the X-Ray.
The discovery of this fact led to the ascertaining of two more, namely,
No disease is ever found without accompanying subluxation.
Since each organ or tissue is connected with some definite and special vertebra, subluxations accompanying disease bear a relation to disease which is controlled by a general law, operative alike on all human organisms.
The latter fact required one other for its complete demonstration; namely, that the removal of the subluxation is always followed by the complete disappearance of the disease. Given more perfect methods of correcting subluxations it would follow that proof of the Chiropractic theory would be so complete and overwhelming as to meet at once with general acceptance. The difficulty lies in the fact that with our present methods much time is often required for complete correction of the vertebral displacement and much skill is needed even for successful investigation of the results obtainable. The theory is too often judged by unskilled or imperfect applications of it.
Every school of Chiropractic accepts the presence of the subluxation and has spent much thought and time in the effort to deduce the law governing its connection with disease. Diverse conclusions have been reached owing to the difficulty experienced in completely eradicating the subluxation. When it is accomplished the results are absolutely conclusive. When it is partially or relatively accomplished the results are so good in a great per cent of cases as to lead sometimes to the erroneous belief that the subluxation did not cause the disease since mere partial correction of the subluxation suffices to bring about the apparent total removal of the disease. In every case of thorough experiment the results warrant the recommendation of the subluxation theory as at least a proper working hypothesis.
Without attempting here to review all the various conclusions reached or the methods by which they have been attained, we would simply state our own conclusion, which we believe is the only one compatible with demonstrable facts. It is briefly this: Since every portion of the body is connected through the nervous system with the spinal nerves and since it has been proven that this connection is reasonably constant and anatomically demonstrable; since the removal or correction of a subluxation leads in all cases to the complete disappearance of disease from the organs or tissues innervated from the subluxated portion of the spinal column, we conclude that the subluxation is the primary cause of disease.