Ideally, the well-being of any organism depends upon how effectively it maintains between its inner and outer worlds. A conventional nervous breakdown characterizes the inability to negotiate such harmony. It has been said that neurotics are at war with themselves, and psychotics -- with something out there. In either case, the human mind remains the sole determinant of how such conflict is or is not resolved.
To date, there is no such thing as a mind reading machine. Although advances in neuroscience has enabled us to monitor the human brain more effectively, as yet, we have not been able to crack the code by which it stores ideas.
Whether we are dealing with a poem by Shelley, a symphony by Beethoven, an opera by Verdi, or a sculpture by Michelangelo, each of their works began with a thought, an idea. Unfortunately, unlike an x-ray, we cannot record the composition of that thought on paper or film. The only evidence of its existence is its product. Hence, the forerunner of any conscious act or deed is an idea.
Ideas have consequences. The idea that D.D. Palmer had in 1895, not unlike the biologically fertilized ovum, was responsible for the birth of chiropractic -- the profession to which we all belong.
Not everyone responds to a new idea in the same way. Some embrace it enthusiastically, others simply acknowledge it, while still others are consumed by it. Could there be some predisposition, some genetic reason why we entered the field of chiropractic; might something coded in our genes be instrumental in choosing chiropractic? Studies in evolutionary biology tell us that through reproduction, a life form can pass along to future generations its own bundle of genetic information or messages. The life forms carrying such information, like relay runners who pass the baton (or bundle of information) a certain distance and then, having passed it on to another runner, can collapse by the roadside -- their mission accomplished. D.D. Palmer was one such runner. He passed his message on to his son, B.J. Palmer. The rest is history.
British biologist, Richard Dawkins, in 1976 coined the term "meme" (to rhyme with theme), which he defined as a self-replicating information pattern that uses minds to get itself reproduced. Examples of memes are tunes, theories, ideas, catch phrases, fashions, or ways of doing things. The adjustment is one such meme.
As N.K. Humphrey, a colleague of Dawkins, states, "Memes should be regarded as living structures, not just metaphorically, but technically. When you plant a fertile meme in my mind, you literally parasitize my brain, turning it into a vehicle for the meme's propagation. ..." Nobel laureate, Roger Sperry, reinforces Humphrey's view contending that, "Ideas cause ideas and help evolve new ideas." This broad conception, nevertheless, should be coupled with the realization that the capacity for a brain to accept a meme -- a new idea -- is less dependent upon its objective truth, but rather upon pre-existing structures in the mind, i.e., its susceptibility.
Once a meme has taken hold, its character and form may undergo change. Religious memes demonstrate this tendency. While there seems to have been a single-minded meme shared by Christianity's founding fathers, that clear-cut religious meme began, in time, to fragment -- to splinter. Present day Christians may choose to be Protestant, Methodist, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Baptist or Presbyterian; Jews, likewise, may opt to be Orthodox, Conservative or Reform.
At the dawn of chiropractic, there was also single-mindedness, a unified sense of doctrine and purpose. But, not unlike religion, it, too, began to splinter. Varying conceptions of its definition, philosophy, and method of practice emerged. Labels such as "straights" and "mixers" polarized the chiropractic mind.
Even at the dawn of modern medicine, there were competing memes. Running parallel to our straights and mixers, medicine spawned allopaths, homeopaths, and eclectics. Medicine soon came to realize that if it was to survive and flourish, it had to reconcile its differences. And, while homeopathy gave way to allopathy, it continues to exist on the outskirts of mainstream medicine.
Whether dealing with medical or chiropractic memes, one must remember that memes cause those they have infected to spread their respective gospels by either the written or spoken word. Knowing what we do about human nature, speculation warrants the assumption that a meme can either contribute to or detract from human knowledge and well-being. For example, the meme with which Adolph Hitler was infected, and with which he infected the German people, unleashed unspeakable horrors upon the human race. Conversely, the memes that impacted upon the minds of such greats as Hippocrates, Galen, Lister, Pasteur, Pavlov, and Freud have contributed much to the alleviation of human suffering.
A peculiar characteristic of some memes is that their self-renewing messages are so imposing that they, if allowed to continue, will ultimately destroy not only themselves, but their hosts as well. In this context, keen observers within the chiropractic profession have long contended that unless its polarized meme can be recast into a single mode, it may well end up killing its host -- chiropractic
Organized medicine survives because of its one voice. While all its members may not agree on a particular drug of choice or surgical procedure, they keep their therapeutic preferences private -- within their profession. Medicine has learned through experience that the less the general public knows about certain things, the better; while it may publicly advocate the importance of an informed society, it appears to regard the dissemination of too much information as a precursor of confusion. The layman is perceived as lacking the necessary context in which to make responsible diagnostic assessments. Television programs with medical themes have already inundated the viewing audience with a plethora of memes for which it has only a limited understanding.
One trait that makes memes dangerous is their intolerance of competing memes (straights vs. mixers). While on the surface they pretend to respect the other's right to exist, their deeper wish is to have them evaporate into thin air -- to cease and desist.
While a competition of ideas is consistent with the "American way," and differences make the colors of the rainbow, conflicting memes, under certain conditions, may prove fatal. Is the chiropractic mind capable of withstanding the presence of competing memes and capable of continuing to grow as a major branch of the healing arts?
Our form of government successfully hosts opposing political parties, i.e., conflicting political memes co-exist in peace. What, then, must happen in the chiropractic mind so as to facilitate an equally peaceful co-existence between straights and mixers? Does the answer lie in cleverly-worded definitions, ones seeking to please both sides? Perhaps the answer lies, not in spoken words or ink marks on a page, but in attitudes, values, and beliefs resident in the individual chiropractic mind. Collective change, in any direction, invariably begins and ends with the individual.
The first step toward the establishment of a holistic meme in chiropractic is the abolition of judgmental terms. Unfortunately, well-entrenched in the Western mind is the two-valued approach, i.e., right/wrong, good/bad, true/false. Similarities rather than differences must be emphasized. Each meme must be searched for its inherent value and appropriateness of purpose. Dogmatic, fanatic, and fundamental memes must be erased from our professional consciousness.
Perhaps chiropractic should rethink its goals; what, exactly, does it want? Dispensing ambiguous memes to our lawmakers and the general public only fosters confusion and obfuscation. While we may differ among ourselves about principles and practice, let us not go public with them. Moreover, while covertly, we may wish to extend every practitioner a maximum of therapeutic freedom; what we do and what we believe must be set forth in the clearest and most understandable language. What is desperately needed is a public core meme, one that will confer upon the chiropractic profession an inalienable identity. Only then, subsumed under a unified canopy, can we individually enjoy and explore our differences.
Just what are the benefits of clinging to antiquated memes? How long can a belief system continue that is unwilling to bend? How much internal dissension can the chiropractic mind endure? Fluctuating memes produce instability; warring factions within the system, if allowed to persist, ultimately cause its destruction. Chiropractic needs to generate antibody memes -- agents that will enable it to ward off antigenic memes. The more optimistic among us are convinced that the chiropractic mind has both the strength and ingenuity to take that final step -- one that will insure its survival in a rapidly changing world.
In the past century, chiropractic has undergone some serious evolutionary changes -- changes that have brought us to where we are today. Although the patriarchs and the neophytes in our profession may have somewhat different notions about what chiropractic is or should be, they do enjoy a bonding -- a core meme -- a mutual heritage. This genetic linkage, if it remains intact and unattenuated by destructive memes from within, will insure a successful launch into the 21st century. To make this transition possible, it is imperative that every chiropractic mind, regardless of its philosophy, pledge its allegiance to a oneness of purpose, a solitary meme that will allow for internal differences and, at the same time, insure the existence of a profession with one voice that sends one message.
Anyone who studies the dynamics of growth and order realizes that absolute or invariant agreement on any issue will, in time, deplete its life force. Order arises from disorder. Chiropractic must strive to become an open system, one permitting memetic information to move freely in both directions. As mentioned earlier, the characteristic of memes, making them potentially dangerous, is their intolerance to competition. The chiropractic mind, as mediator, has yet to learn how to cope effectively with differences of opinion, dissent, and contestation. Like the circus performer who must let go of one trapeze bar before he can engage the next, we, too, must turn loose of certain aspects of the past before we can successfully engage the future. The chronology is familiar: Memes are born in the form of words, words generate action, actions change, and change is what makes a difference.
In this column, I have shared some of the memes presently residing in my calvarium. While it is highly unlikely that reading them as ink marks on this page will move you to any form of action, they may combine with some of your own memes and, by so doing, cross-fertilize one another. The world, as it enters the 21st century desperately needs an alternative to organized medicine. Chiropractic should become that alternative by responding with one voice, one meme -- a profession dedicated to the axiom: The welfare of the sick is the supreme law.
Abne M. Eisenberg, D.C., Ph.D.
Croton-on-Hudson, New York
Editor's Note:
As a professor of communication, Dr. Eisenberg is frequently asked to speak at conventions and regional meetings. For further information regarding speaking engagements, you may call (914) 271-4441, or write to Two Wells Avenue, Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520,