Chiropractic is by far the most common form of alternative medicine in the United States today, but its fascinating origins stretch back to the battles between science and religion in the nineteenth century. At the center of the story are chiropractic's colorful founders, D. D. Palmer and his son, B. J. Palmer, of Davenport, Iowa, where in 1897 they established the Palmer College of Chiropractic. Holly Folk shows how the Palmers' system depicted chiropractic as a conduit for both material and spiritualized versions of a ""vital principle,"" reflecting popular contemporary therapies and nineteenth-century metaphysical beliefs, including the idea that the spine was home to occult forces. The creation of chiropractic, and other Progressive-era versions of alternative medicine, happened at a time when the relationship between science and religion took on an urgent, increasingly competitive tinge. Many remarkable people, including the Palmers, undertook highly personal reinterpretations of their physical and spiritual worlds. In this context, Folk reframes alternative medicine and spirituality as a type of populist intellectual culture in which ideologies about the body comprise a highly appealing form of cultural resistance.

What was the world of Geelong's legendary Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916-1982) really like? What do those who who flocked to him have to say about his talent to "fix them" when credentialed and envious others failed? Step into Tom's time - the '40s to early '80s, brought alive by the memory of touch and his attentive, but no-fuss presence. Meet his grateful patients and Rene Horwood, loyal clinic organiser and enduring ally to the end. There's Ron Garner, a forgotten comate till now who stops awhile bringing gifts of White Magic. Be surprised at what's in store and what three of his professional apprentices Drs.Neave, Smeeton and Ryan reveal about Tom's healing hands and the unsung finesse at the heart of his work. Former politician Rod Mackenzie, OAM shows us the parliamentary gates that opened to the cold, regulatory winds of change that robbed Tom of due recognition for his life's accomplishments. With Heather, a daughter's insight; join sister Agnes in childhood and at the end for a forbidden cigarette. Finally, a second leg amputation courted by the cause of his untimely death. Healing Hands, Unsung Voices is a celebratory centennial anthology in memory of a gifted and exceptional human being.