ABSTRACT
The evolution of chiropractic from a marginal health profession to the strongest and most popular alternative to orthodox medicine in the United States is examined and compared with osteopathy and naturopathy. The evolution of osteopathy to near-fusion with medicine and the near-demise of naturopathy illumine the possibilities for chiropractic. The social and professional cleavages between medicine and chiropractic remain too great. The United States Office of Education recognized officially the Chiropractic Association as the accrediting agency for chiropractic colleges. The United States Congress began payments for chiropractors' services under the Medicare program, and fourth, the Congress directed that $2,000,000 be used to study the research status of chiropractic. The reality is that chiropractic graduates are well grounded in the basic medical sciences and understand quite well both the limits of chiropractic and the benefits of the medical prodecures which exceed their own legal and technological capabilities.
