Published on Tuesday, Feb 7 2012 by
Francis Wilson has successfully defended his PhD thesis, and subject to corrections will be awarded his doctorate from the University of Southampton.
As a 1990 graduate of the AECC, Francis returned to teach at the College in 1999. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 2005. Over the last decade his research has focused primarily on the history of chiropractic in Europe. He was active in establishing the ‘Donald and Elizabeth Bennett History Library’ at the AECC which opened in 2003, and edited the book Chiropractic in Europe: An Illustrated History, which was published in 2007. His PhD thesis is a sociologically-informed history entitled The Origins and Professional Development of Chiropractic in Britain.
Although the origins of chiropractic are usually traced back to the 1890s, to Davenport, Iowa, and to the practice of Daniel David Palmer, it is argued in the thesis that it is misleading to claim that chiropractic was ‘discovered’ by Daniel Palmer, or that chiropractic in Britain was entirely an ‘import’ from the United States. Instead, chiropractic's origins were complex and form part of a broader history of manipulative practices. Chiropractic’s development in Britain has been intertwined with that of osteopathy, and has involved medicalisation. The study demonstrates that through the course of its evolution chiropractic was subject to processes that can usefully be described in terms of professionalisation, sharing features in common with the professionalisation of other occupational groups described in historical and sociological literature. Even so, chiropractors have not attained the social presence or cultural authority of archetypal professionals such as medical doctors or lawyers. Although legal protection of the title ‘chiropractor’ has been achieved, many problems remain, including divisions within the occupation.
Francis is grateful to those who have supported his research to this point, including the European Chiropractors’ Union for their financial support. He is especially appreciative of his PhD supervisors, Bernard Harris and Jenni Bolton, and of Gordon Causer who helped facilitate his learning during the first years of his PhD study.