Clarence Selmer Gonstead (July 23, 1898 – October 2, 1978) was an American

chiropractor 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 pseudoscien ...

. He created the Gonstead technique. He established a large chiropractic facility in

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Mount Horeb is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin,. The population was 7,754 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Ho-Chunk nation The Village of Mount Horeb is part of the ancestral ...

Early life

Clarence Gonstead was born in

Willow Lake, South Dakota Willow Lake is a city in Clark County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 255 at the 2020 census. The city took its name from Willow Lake, a natural lake near the town site. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

, the son of Carl Gonstead (1871–1956) and Sarah Gonstead (1874–1918). His family later moved to a dairy farm in

Primrose, Wisconsin The Town of Primrose is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of 2018, the population was 731. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.8 square miles (92.8 km), all of it lan ...

. At the age of 19, Gonstead was bedridden with

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are invol ...

. After his arthritis was cured by a chiropractor, he was motivated to enroll in the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Gonstead became a member of the chiropractic fraternity Delta Sigma Chi. Gonstead earned a doctor of chiropractic degree in 1923 and returned to Wisconsin. He first practiced with Dr. Olson, the man who inspired him to become a chiropractor, before establishing a practice in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. His younger brother, Merton Gonstead (1902–1983), joined his practice in 1929 for a few years before starting his own practice. Clarence Gonstead remained a sole practitioner for the next twenty years.

Career

Gonstead's method of chiropractic practice was an extension of his training at the Palmer School of Chiropractic. While Gonstead was a student, school president B. J. Palmer began promoting the neurocalometer (NCM), an invention of chiropractor Dossa Dixon Evins (1886–1932). Gonstead assisted in various efforts to improve the quality of these two instruments. In the 1940s Gonstead became a consultant for Electronic Development Laboratories (EDL). EDL made the original Nervoscope, a competitor device to the NCM. Over the years, Gonstead helped the company define the device's sensitivity, parameters, and function. Gonstead also worked with various X-ray companies to optimize full-spine 14x36 X-ray exposure, primarily the use of split screens to account for varying patient density on the lateral film. Gonstead's first office was located above a bank building in downtown

. In 1939, Gonstead built the first Gonstead Chiropractic Clinic (or second office) in downtown Mount Horeb. In 1964 he opened a second clinic just outside Mount Horeb which treated 300 to 400 patients per day. It was designed by

John Steinmann John Steinmann (1914–1987) was an American architect. He designed St. John's Lutheran Church (Evansville, Wisconsin) (1958), listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Steinmann's father was an architect, and his son would become one as ...

. The next year, 1965, a motel (Karakahl Country Inn) was constructed next to the clinic to accommodate out-of-town patients and chiropractors attending his seminar.

Later years

In 1974, Gonstead sold his clinic and seminars to Alex and Doug Cox. Gonstead's inventory was later auctioned. His clinic continues operation under the ownership of the non-profit C.S. Gonstead Chiropractic Foundation.

Personal life

In 1924, Gonstead married Elvira Meister (1901–1991). Gonstead died in 1978 at the age of 80. He was buried at Mount Horeb Union Cemetery in

References

External links