Ask D.D.
What Would D.D. Do?
Put your question to D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic. Every answer is grounded in his own published words, with the sources cited.
Before you ask D.D.
Enter your email to unlock the chat. We will send you the occasional passage from his writings and word when new ones are added, nothing else.
Frequently asked questions
Who is D.D. Palmer?+
D.D. Palmer is the founder of chiropractic. He gave the first chiropractic adjustment in Davenport, Iowa, in 1895, named Innate, defined tone, opened the first chiropractic school and wrote the profession's first textbook.
How does What Would D.D. Do answer my questions?+
It searches his books and the journals he edited, 1904 to 1914, for the passages closest to your question, then answers as D.D., using only his own words, with the sources cited. Every quotation is checked word for word against what he printed.
Are these really his words?+
Every answer is built from his own published, public-domain writings. Where his pages printed someone else (a letter, a testimonial, a clipping, a student, his son B.J.), those words are cut out first and never quoted as his. Open the sources under any answer to see the writing and page it drew from.
Can I read the full writings?+
Yes, free. Every writing the tool cites links to its full scan from the Library: the books at the Internet Archive, the journals at the Palmer College of Chiropractic Archives.
Is this medical advice?+
No. It is philosophy and practice guidance from the founder's own writings. Chiropractic, as he taught it, is a science of the cause of disease, not a remedy for pain.