• Bovine G

• Chiropractic / history
• Chiropractors / history / New York
• Dislocations
• Manipulation, Chiropractic / history
• Manipulation, Orthopedic / history
• Medicine, Traditional / methods
• Traction / history

Bonesetters, non-medical practitioners of manipulation, often kept their techniques secretive and did not write down or publish their methods. The only way one can study these techniques is to read what witnesses of the techniques published or passed down to others to publish.  The family of Sweet bonesetters practiced in Connecticut, New York and other parts of New England, where witnesses did document various techniques that the Sweets utilized.  A particular technique, the Sweet treatment of dislocation of the hip, received attention as it was applied with manual treatment without extension and counterextension; that is, traction of the dislocated bone and countertraction of the bone that is separated from.  Extension and counterextension was the standard method used at the time.  As other practitioners use the manual treatment also, a debate on the priority of discovery of this technique occurred, and this is discussed.

Corresponding author: Gary Bovine—bovine@execulink.com

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