When Canadians across the country tuned in the morning talk show "Canada AM" on September 9, they became acquainted with a certain Dr. Murray Katz speaking out against chiropractic pediatrics.
Dr. Katz, not a pediatrician himself, was opposed by Secretary General of the World Federation of Chiropractic David A. Chapman-Smith, Esq. (know fondly to many in the chiropractic profession as "DACS").
Dr. Katz fired the initial salvo by suggesting that chiropractic care of children was "useless." He stated that "children (are) being exposed to x-rays that are of no use whatsoever," and suggested that this was "like taking an x-ray to see a diaper rash." Dr. Katz's other comments included:
"I respect the sincerity of their (chiropractic) beliefs, which do not make any scientific sense."
"I would say that really it's a question of useless. There are millions of children in North America and approximately a million children in Canada being treated for a disease which they do not have, in other words subluxations or bones out of place, by a treatment which does not exist, in other words an adjustment of their spine to put these bones back into place to treat asthma, colic and bed wetting. And all of this is being paid for out of public money when we're closing hospitals and telling nurses they don't have a job anymore."
In response, DACS made several cogent points. Perhaps one of the most important was the question of credibility:
"It should be understood, and he (Katz) would acknowledge, that he's got no formal training and has never published any clinical research in the area of spinal manipulation generally or chiropractic specifically. Secondly, at the moment, the audience sees him as a reasonable average practitioner, medical practitioner, with concerns. But they should appreciate that for the past 20 years, he has been the most outspoken critic internationally, not only about the treatment of children, but about everything chiropractic. So there is a real question about credibility, I would say, about Dr. Katz."
Many have conjectured that Dr. Katz's efforts have amounted to a "turf war" which is currently focussed on chiropractic pediatrics. Dr. Katz's claim of being the director of the largest pediatric clinic in Canada has lent to this belief. This question was addressed by both parties in their final arguments:
Dr. Katz: "It's not a turf war, it's a scientific question."
DACS: "It is absolutely a turf war. Dr. Katz is on record speaking to medical associations as saying it's not scientific, it's political. He's on record as saying orthopractic has been coined by him as a term to mimic chiropractic. What he is asking for, under the cover of raising concerns about children, is that all people go to his new organization, medically controlled, which he started just a few months ago. No educational basis. No licensing basis. It's just outrageous."
The attacks against chiropractic pediatrics specifically, and chiropractic in general, are expanding across North America via radio, TV, and print. The chiropractic profession's response will be an important factor in shaping the impression of the public. In this event, David Chapman-Smith was the one to admirably defend chiropractic before Canadian viewers. Are you prepared to respond in kind to questions posed by your local news media?
