William Harvey Lillard (1856 – September 7, 1925) was the first

chiropractic Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudosci ...

patient.

Biography

Harvey Lillard was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...

who worked in the Ryan Building in Brady Street,

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

. He was the first person to be treated with the technique known as

by D.D. Palmer. Lillard maintained the corner building where Palmer had his office on the 4th floor. In September 1895 he told Palmer that he had lost most of his hearing and was almost completely deaf. Lillard added that he "could not hear the racket of a wagon on the street or the ticking of a watch." When asked how he had become deaf he replied that, 17 years before, while bent over in a cramped, stooping position he "heard something "pop" in his spine" and immediately lost most of his hearing. Palmer later told that he then offered to take a look at Lillard's spine and found a lump just between his shoulders; he persuaded Lillard to allow him to "rack his bone back into position." Palmer, in fact, thought Lillard's hearing loss was due to a misalignment that blocked the spinal nerves which control the inner ear, the so-called

vertebral subluxation In chiropractic, a vertebral subluxation means pressure on nerves, abnormal functions creating a lesion in some portion of the body, either in its action or makeup (defined by D.D. Palmer and B.J. Palmer, founders of chiropractic). Subluxation ...

; he decided to push the vertebrae back into place and, after a few days, Lillard said that his hearing was better and almost completely restored. Lillard described:

''I was deaf 17 years and I expected to always remain so, for I had doctored a great deal without any benefit. I had long ago made up my mind to not take any more ear treatments, for it did me no good. Last January Dr. Palmer told me that my deafness came from an injury in my spine. This was new to me; but it is a fact that my back was injured at the time I went deaf. Dr. Palmer treated me on the spine; in two treatments I could hear quite well. That was eight months ago. My hearing remains good. HARVEY LILLARD, 320 W. Eleventh St., Davenport, Iowa''.

The date of Lillard's treatment is not confirmed. Some sources indicate September 6, while others indicate September 15 and 18 of September. Some sources also indicate that the month and year were changed by B. J. Palmer, the son of

Daniel David Palmer Daniel David Palmer (March 7, 1845 – October 20, 1913) was a Canadian American chiropractor who was the founder of chiropractic. Palmer was born in Pickering, Ontario, but emigrated to the United States in 1865. He was also an avid proponent ...

. Others indicate different years, 1894–1896, and month, January–April, as well. Lillard died on September 7, 1925, and was buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle.Lakeview Cemetery website.
Search for Lillard. Only use last name.Chiropractor Touts His Strong Beliefs
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Gainesville Sun ''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the edi ...

'', 17 April 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lillard, William Harvey 1856 births 1925 deaths African-American people Janitors People from Davenport, Iowa Chiropractic American deaf people