Herbert Atkinson Barker

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Sir Herbert Atkinson Barker (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.

[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.