Sherman College of Chiropractic: A History of Accreditation and Philosophical Evolution
The story of Sherman College of Chiropractic is intertwined with the broader history of chiropractic's professionalization, accreditation, and the ongoing debates between different worldviews within the profession. This article explores the college's history in the context of these significant developments, highlighting the philosophical underpinnings, accreditation battles, and the evolution of chiropractic education.
The Foundation: D.D. Palmer's Philosophical Paradigm
D.D. Palmer's chiropractic philosophical paradigm emerged, in part, as a response to the increasing rationalization of society in the late 19th century. His approach viewed the body as a dynamic system, emphasizing the interconnectedness of its various parts. According to Palmer, adjusting vertebral subluxations-misalignments of the spinal vertebrae-impacted spirit, matter, and life, with global effects on the spine and body. He believed that these adjustments could improve a person's health and potentially transform society.
Palmer's paradigm included a practice (the adjustment) and a rational scientific approach to knowledge, expanding rationality into a more dynamic viewpoint. His early successes led him to establish a school to teach his methods. He sought further evidence that adjusting subluxations could result in health benefits. He recalled that one patient’s case of heart trouble had not been improving and found a displaced vertebra pressing against the nerves that connected to the heart. Recent studies indicate that chiropractic indeed supports the cardiovascular system by reducing heart rate and lowering blood pressure and anxiety levels.
Early Conflicts: "Straights" vs. "Mixers"
After D.D. Palmer's death in 1913, a century-long conflict ensued between the "straights" and the "mixers." The "straights" defined chiropractic as focusing on the analysis and correction of vertebral subluxations to foster the fullest expression of the individual’s innate intelligence. The "mixers," on the other hand, defined chiropractic more broadly, sometimes incorporating other practices from medical doctors, osteopaths, homeopaths, and naturopaths. Palmer's writing stated that chiropractic should be distinct from all other methods, emphasizing a "straight" approach.
Strategic thinking in the profession’s first hundred years was limited, with organized efforts primarily focused on increasing educational standards or passing legislation.
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Accreditation and Professionalization
The medical profession set the standard for professionalization by upgrading their educational institutions, which was influenced in 1910 with Abraham Flexner’s report. Chiropractic’s unique story is set within a much wider complexity of social forces.
In 1974, the United States Department of Education (USDE) recognized the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), which unified the profession but also seemed to exacerbate the divide between the "straights" and "mixers." The original CCE standard, published in 1941, was based on the standards set by the American Medical Association (AMA), reflecting the influence of the broad-scope ("mixer") faction. This inclusion of rationally focused medical perspectives was anathema to the postrationally focused philosophical (“straight”) faction.
Sherman College's Journey to Accreditation
Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, founded in 1973 by Dr. Thom Gelardi and named after Dr. Lyle Sherman, an assistant director of the B. J. Palmer Chiropractic Research Clinic, embarked on its own journey toward accreditation. The first class graduated on September 18, 1976, the anniversary of Palmer's discovery of the vertebral subluxation.
The college applied for CCE accreditation in 1974 but was initially denied. After a long and arduous effort, Sherman College was denied accreditation by the council. Sherman College then pursued accreditation through the Straight Chiropractic Academic Standards Association (SCASA), which was approved by the Secretary of Education as a second chiropractic college accrediting agency in 1988. However, SCASA lost USDE recognition on September 4, 1992, after a long appeal process, putting Sherman College back on the road to CCE accreditation.
January 28, 1995, marked a significant day for both Sherman College and the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic (UBCC), as both colleges were seated as members of the CCE. Sherman's accreditation by the council is historic in that they are the first SCASA college to gain CCE accreditation.
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Dr. Thom Gelardi, then president of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, commented that the attitudes of the (CCE) staff, visiting teams and Commission members were positive, helpful and encouraging. He also noted that the CCE definitely has high academic standards and that the process is necessarily detailed and labor intensive, but quite fair.
Philosophical Underpinnings and Levels of Thinking
The clashing worldviews within chiropractic are more complex than a simple divide between "straights" and "mixers." The conflict may be depicted rather as a continual clash of several competing worldviews. One of the challenges of such a clash is that each worldview tends to assume that its own viewpoint is best, thus assuming that one perspective holds the most truth, whereas other’s claims to truth are suspect. Furthermore, few worldviews use strategic thinking. It is my opinion that the complex problems within the chiropractic profession require strategic thinking. However, evidence of real strategic thinking in the general population is rare. Individuals who think and act as “strategists” comprise only 4% of the population.
To better understand these conflicts, it's helpful to consider a model of five levels of thinking:
- Prerational: Associated with dogmatic, uncritical, and fundamental beliefs.
- Early Rational: Reliance on logic and reason rather than science to solve problems.
- Rational: Associated with objectivity and the scientific method.
- Early Postrational: Early systems and holistic thinking (such as D.D. Palmer’s philosophical approach).
- Postrational: Includes rationality but expands it, incorporating strategic thinking and the ability to integrate seemingly incompatible ideas.
Individuals throughout the history of the profession have viewed the world through rational, early-rational, and sometimes prerational perspectives. Many of the conflicts within chiropractic might be framed as conflicts between early rational thinking and rational thinking.
The Litigious Period and Beyond
Gibbons proposed four periods of chiropractic’s educational history: the Tutorial Period (1897-1905), the Classical Period (1905-1924), the Proprietary Period (1924-1960), and the Professional Period (1960-). I expand this model to include a fifth time period to bring us closer to the present day. I suggest that the Professional Period concludes in 1986, with the first of the lawsuits against CCE by a chiropractic college. I suggest that the fifth period, the Litigious Period (1986-2003), begins at that point and ends with the last court case.
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Sherman College was involved in litigation related to accreditation, highlighting the tensions and conflicts within the profession. The court case of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, Et Al. v. American Chiropractic Association, Et Al., 654 F. Supp. 716 (N.D. Ga. 1987), provides insight into the legal battles surrounding accreditation and the differing philosophies within chiropractic.
The court case revealed the pro-diagnostic forces have achieved dominance in the profession and the CCE will only accredit chiropractic colleges which subscribe to the pro-diagnostic philosophy.
The court ultimately concluded that Plaintiffs have failed to make the threshold showing necessary to invoke application of the per se rule and that any restraint imposed by Defendants' alleged anti-competitive activities may not be evaluated under the per se rule.
Current Status and Future Directions
Today, Sherman College of Chiropractic continues to operate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, offering the Doctor of Chiropractic degree. The college's mission, "Adjusting the World for a Better Future," reflects its commitment to the principles of straight chiropractic.
All chiropractic schools in the United States are accredited by 1 specialized agency, the CCE, which is recognized by the US Federal Government’s Department of Education. At present, all chiropractic colleges except 1 are accredited by regional accrediting bodies.
Sherman College operates a Chiropractic Health Center on its campus open to the public, which provides more than 35,000 patient visits each year.
Looking ahead, reviving the philosophical knowledge of D.D. Palmer’s paradigm could enrich the lives and practice of the current generation of chiropractic students and practitioners. To the extent that the chiropractic profession can foster and develop the postrational essence of Palmer’s philosophy, it might play a leading role in shaping the transformation of health policy and practices currently under way within the United States and across the world.
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