Here's What's Happening

If there are "truths" to the basic needs of a health care profession, here's one. No health care profession has ever survived without a healthy platform for its professional literature. In fact, it can be further stated that an unhealthy platform predates the death of the profession. In other words, it's a publish or perish principle -- on a profession-wide scale.

I'd like to take this "truth" one step further. We can call it "Curl's corollary to the publish or perish principle." Simply stated it says, "If the publication isn't bought, it doesn't get read. A publisher doesn't print what isn't bought. In either case the outcome is the same -- the professional wisdom and genius perishes."

"So what?" you may ask.

Here's the "So what?"

At the time of this writing, and in just the last year, we have lost one professional journal, one impressive quarterly book series died from lack of attention, and we're witnessing dangerously low levels in subscription rates in our professional journals. Book sales could be better. And the National Library of Medicine (NLM) turned away a proposal to include a chiropractic database in its world renown MEDLINE computer system because chiropractors, it seems, do not try to access its own literature often enough to warrant such a project.

There was a time, a few years ago, when publishers were climbing all over themselves to enter the chiropractic market. Thanks should go to Drs. Yochum, Rowe, Croft, Foreman, and James Cox who, among others, have written important chiropractic texts that have sold well and have been well received in the professional community. Because of this foray and for the first time in the history of chiropractic, we are seeing a broad-based display of chiropractic's talents. The publishers, if you will, invested in chiropractic.

Try taking a book proposal to a publisher now. You're likely to hear a litany that chiropractic book sales are not meeting expectations and certainly not their potential. Unless your book is a red-hot idea, you're likely not to get it published -- another of chiropractic's talents is never seen and a little bit more withers from inattention.

Here's more "So What?"

Suppose for a moment that you read the New York Times article on manipulation and that you are not a chiropractor. After reading this article you decide that you want to know more about manipulation and chiropractic. Further, you decide to do what everyone else does at this point -- go to the profession's own literature where you expect to find information from its experts.

First a call to the huge MEDLINE computerized library. This place has everything! Well, almost. There's one chiropractic journal (out of over 20,000 other journals) and that's it for MEDLINE. Oh yes, you did find a lot of articles written about the dangers of chiropractic (appearing in many other journals), but you decided to ignore them at this time.

Next a call to your local library. "Do you subscribe to JMPT?" "Maybe, let me look ... Oh, I'm very sorry. Not every library carries this journal. You might try ..." Eventually you find the copies of JMPT you want.

In your quest you contact a chiropractic library. "I just read a New York Times article and I'd like more information on chiropractic." The librarian replies, "Well, we have copies of our professional journals you may find helpful." What a surprise!" You say, "Here I thought JMPT was the only one chiropractic had to offer. How can I get these journals you mentioned?"

After much work and a lot of time and expense (unless you live next door to a chiropractic library) you get most of what you need. In the meantime you find that some of chiropractic's journals typically print articles you find interesting. Naturally, you call the publisher to get a subscription.

What happens? "I'd like to subscribe to your journal."

"I'm very sorry, that one is no longer available," the publisher responds.

"How about these two?" you ask.

"We stopped publishing that one nine months ago. As for the other one, its last edition was printed well over six years ago."

You hang up. Although discouraged, you decide to order some chiropractic books whose titles caught your eye. Another phone call.

"I'd like to order this book ..."

"I'm very sorry, that one is our of print," replies the bookseller.

"How about these four?" you ask hopefully.

"They stopped publishing three of those a long time ago because of poor sales. As for the other one, they cancelled the series because chiropractors didn't seem interested.

The Bottom Line

If chiropractors are not showing an interest (support) of their own literature, why would anyone else? Golly gee, it is after all much easier to learn about spinal manipulation from DOs or PTs. Why bother with the hard to find chiropractic stuff?

There's more, but we have to stop now. Please keep this article (cut it out). Save it for next month when we complete our discussion. Then make copies, and send them to your colleagues. Why? We'll see an exciting answer to this question next month. Trust me.

Darryl Curl, D.D.S., D.C.
Norco, California

Editor's note: With each article Dr. Curl encourages you to write to him in care of Dynamic Chiropractic with questions you may have, commentaries on your patient care experiences since attending the TM seminars, or thoughts to share with your colleagues. Please include your return address.