Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice [Paperback]

Chester A. Wilk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

As young Dr. Chet Wilk struggled to establish himself in his chiropractic practice, he found himself encountering unexpected obstacles from a surprising array of sources - local hospitals, medical doctors, even his parish priest. Soon he also began to notice the publication of article after article condemning and belittling his profession, the enactment of unfriendly state legislation, and bitter battles over insurance coverage for chiropractic services. At first, he blamed all these events on simple lack of knowledge about chiropractic. Then he began to suspect that something more sinister was at work, and he set about to uncover the truth. What he ultimately found shocked him: a deliberate conspiracy, led by the American Medical Association, to destroy the chiropractic profession. At first disbelieving, then outraged, he was determined that someone had to do something to stop it. Together with four other courageous individuals, he filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the AMA and fourteen other defendants, initiating a legal drama that would consume fourteen years of his life before reaching its successful conclusion. Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice is Chet Wilk's own account of this remarkable journey - the outrageous conspiracy, the intrigue, the setbacks, the courage, the unexpected allies, and most of all, the controversial trials, from the Federal Court to the United States Court of Appeals right up to the Supreme Court. It is the true story of how one man's decision to fight back finally brought an end to an illegal campaign by the medical establishment to limit our right to free choice in health care.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the story of a courageous group of chiropractors who charged the powerful American Medical Association with an antitrust suit and won. Chiropractic was apparently just a little too successful for the medical establishment's liking. Dr. Wilk and his colleagues had the scientific studies to prove it. Thanks to them, Americans retain the ability to choose how they want their backs cared for.

From Booklist

Wilk was the moving force behind the pioneering antitrust suit Wilk v. American Medical Association. He describes how he conceived the suit gradually as he saw that his and his fellow chiropractors' live-and-let-live attitude was getting them nowhere against the legal harassment of organized standard medicine. After selling the idea of a suit to his colleagues and forming the National Chiropractic Antitrust Committee to drum up donations for legal expenses, Wilk, his high-powered lawyer, and his three coplaintiffs formally initiated the suit late in 1976. Four years later, it went to a jury that found the defendants not guilty. Wilk and company next sought a bench trial, in which they were, in 1987, ultimately successful. Wilk gives a well-documented and lively account of his highly important suit, considering both its psychological and its legal aspects. William Beatty

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Avery; 1 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895296470
• ISBN-13: 978-0895296474
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding description of David vs. the AMA Goliath, March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice (Paperback)

There have been segments in our society that have enormous power and will stop at nothing to gain control. This book is a chilling description of an out of control medical system that assumed that they had all knowledge concerning healthcare. The real fight was about nothing other than penetration into their sacred economic turf. Chiropractic was almost destroyed if it wasn't for the absolute courage of several dedicated chiropractic physicians and an attorney who fought against all odds to prove that organized medicine used a campaign of misinformation and slander to attempt to destroy the chiropractic profession. Fortunately, many today have accepted chiropractic based on merit and effectiveness as a healing art. Many medical doctors today have accepted chiropractic based on scientific evidence and studies published in many of their journals concerning chiropractic's efficacy. This is an absolute must read!!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Accurate, and Informative, October 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice (Paperback)

This book really tells it like it is! It also shows how medicine has tried to cover up, ingnore, or distrort chiropractic because it cannot control it. This book demonstrates the fear, most likely financially motivated, that some in the medical profession have against chiropractic. Although the tide is definitely changing in chiropractic's favor! Today, many medical practitioners (including my own medical doctor) are recommending chiropractic care for conditions they have had little success with in the past (such as back and joint conditions). Medicine may feel threatened by chiropractic science and its benefits - especially the older and less-informed "dinosaurs" who should embrace chiropractic care rather than fear it through their own ignorance and "mis-information". Chiropractic has repeatedly shown through scientific study that a more effective, cheaper, and SAFER method exists for treating ailments such as: neck, back, & joint pain, and many other musculo-skeletal conditions. Although unfortunate accidents can happen in any profession - as exemplified in a quote by Ralph Nater that stated over 150,000 people per year are, "killed every year in the US by drugs & surgury", chiropractic care is still much safer than medicine and/or osteopathy. This book reaffirms medicine's attempt to use fear propoganda to further its own means - without regard to the patient's well-being or safety. It does this by distorting the facts and using isolated examples to discourage chiropractic utilization. Since medicine does not have chiropractors in their "back pocket" (like it does osteopaths and physiotherapists), they engage in fear-mongering as an attempt to monopolize health care. Hopefully, this book will help to expose those who have distorted the facts, and improve healthcare for the rest of us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story about a great struggle...., December 20, 2001

By 

Robert Harrell (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice (Paperback)

In this book, Dr. Wilk offers overwhelming evidence that the AMA sought to discredit and destroy chiropractic. Dr. Wilk tells his own story of discovering chiropractic, of building his practice, and of his constant struggle to clear the name of chiropractic, which has been under constant attack as quackery from others in the "healing" community.

Dr. Wilk eventually took the AMA to court, twice, and this book tells the story of those events in a way that should awaken the wary consumer. Perhaps the best thing in this book is the Appendix, in which Dr. Wilk cites numerous studies that have vindicated the use of chiropractic in spite of attacks from detractors.

If you are one of the growing number of people interested in natural healing techniques, or one of those with an inherent mistrust of MD's, read this book!