Life and the Brown Cow

Editor's note: This is the sixth installment of the Brown Cow and Chiropractic Philosophy Series by Dr. Sanford Black. Dr. Black was a 1947 graduate of the Palmer School of Chiropractic and practiced in Mineral Wells, Texas. As a longstanding secretary and parliamentarian of the Chiropractic Society of Texas, his influence in advancing the Principles of Chiropractic in Texas will always be appreciated.

Chiropractic Philosophy

In the Chiropractic profession Chiropractors have long known that “Life” within the human body is always functioning at full, one hundred percent, efficiency at all times to maintain a normal, healthy body that is capable of performing all the functions that are part of normal living. They know failure in a bodily function or abnormality in an organ is often found to be the result of a Vertebral Subluxation. Chiropractic analysis can locate these and their correction results in the return to normal function of that “Life” force within the body.

Many scientists are researching the broad term referred to as “Life”. Much has been written about what we know and what we believe about “Life”. In all this, no one has been able to produce “Life” in an inanimate object. The idea that “Life” can be created has many adherents, but no real hopes of achieving now life in anything animal or vegetable has a valid basis.

Thousands of ways of adapting or changing life that already exists are available to the scientific community and new achievements are being announced very often.

Chiropractic adjustment of vertebral subluxations is always the basis and prime duty of the Chiropractor. All other procedures are merely ancillary to this. The skill of a Chiropractor in these other fields, such as patient education, will be effective only when the Chiropractic Adjustment has been accomplished.

Much has been learned and written about the phenomenon that we call “Life”. Chiropractors have a very special term to refer to it. Innate has always been in Chiropractic Philosophy since the very early history of Chiropractic.

The return to normal function within the body is almost a foregone conclusion as the interfering vertebral subluxation is corrected. The rate of recovery depends upon the extent of tissue damage and the resulting degeneration of tissue cells. Sometimes there is less than desire recovery and absolute full recovery cannot be accomplished. In Chiropractic Philosophy this is described as “Limitation of Matter”.

Often, in a busy Chiropractic Practice, one notes cases that recover to a much greater degree and in much less time than had been expected. This, then, can be compared to the way that a brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk.