Herbert Atkinson Barker

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Herbert Atkinson Barker
Herbert Atkinson Barker
Born	April 21, 1869
Died	July 21, 1950
Nationality	English
Fields	manipulative surgeon
Known for	osteopathic

Sir Herbert Atkinson Barker (April 21, 1869-July 21, 1950) was an English manipulative surgeon. He developed a highly successful osteopathic technique, specialising in knee and other damaged joints both in the top sportsmen and the general public. He advocated the avoidance of surgery. However, his methods were never formally approved by the medical establishment. Because of opposition towards a Lambeth degree or honorary degree for him, he was instead honored with a knighthood in 1922, nominally for services in World War I. It was not until 2000 that osteopathy become an official medical field.

In the 1920's he visited Doctor's Cave Beach Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and was most impressed by the curative powers of the waters. His subsequent articles about the beach lead to it becoming a popular destination for those seeking cures, and this was the start of the tourist industry in Montego Bay.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

• Bishop, Malcolm. Should doctors be the judges of medical orthodoxy? The Barker case of 1920. J R Soc Med.
• This article incorporates text from The Modern World Encyclopædia: Illustrated (1935); out of UK copyright as of 2005.