FEATURE PROFILE ICONIC CHIROPRACTOR A conversation with Dr. Paul Holtom – 97 years young BY DIRK KEENAN D r. Holtom was already sitting outside with a friend when I went to pick him up at his re-tirement residence. It was a nicely appointed place with lots of peo-ple, a change from the quiet independ-ent life in his home clinic, in Stittsville, Ontario. He had a cane, but didn’t rely on it. He had no problems recognizing my car, and got up before I could go shake his hand, saying right away, “I am hungry – lets go!” For the next two hours, I was awarded a glimpse into what I consider among the most prodigious chiroprac-tic careers ever recorded. “Red wine with dinner, two or three glasses and no hard liquor” he stated. I can’t argue with the results of that prescription. It’s humbling, talking to someone who has practised longer than I have been alive. Is a chiropractic practice one of the secrets to a long life? I am a World War II history buff, so that’s where we started the conversa-tion. Dr. Holtom wanted to be a pilot, but was talked into applying before he graduated high school and found out he was not eligible. A year before his attempted application, at age 17, his mother pulled him out of school, which he was grateful for later on as his school buddies ended up in the Canadian battalion in Hong Kong just before the Japanese invasion. Most never returned as the Japanese invaded and took the island a short time later. He soon turned 18 years of age and entered the war as ground crew – par-ticularly in instrumentation for fighter aircraft, P40 Curtis Hawks. Shortly after his training, his group rushed to the Aleutian Islands near Alaska to deter the Japanese from further advances. They were in the next island to the Japanese soldiers and pilots, and the conditions were not great. For two years, he en-dured living in a tent in a large dugout hole with a pot-bellied stove to keep warm. The stove never lasted the night, at times it was quite cold. To make it worse, for the first year there was no alcohol or leave. As a young man, it was no picnic. Two years was plenty of time, then he was sent back to Ottawa to work. He qualified as a second lieuten-ant, but it was too late to fly fighters, as the war was winding down. He decided to finish up his time in his trade, which upon discharge allowed he and other veterans like my father, tuition and ex-penses to attend a professional school. Dr. Brunarski (left) and Dr. Holtom at the 60 year awards ceremony (OCA) INTRODUCTION TO CHIROPRACTIC His mother was unwell before seeing a chiropractor in Ottawa, Dr. George Graham. He was a soft spoken man, DIRK KEENAN is a second-generation chiropractor practicing in Ottawa’s oldest clinic for the past 34 years. Dr. Keenan pursues an active interest in multi-disciplinary clinics, Interprofessional education, and chiropractic practices abroad. He is currently in the midst of establishing an international locum service. Interested parties in international locums, multi-disciplinary practices, or interprofessional education can contact him at [email protected]. 14 Canadian Chiropractor October 2019 very well respected and very influential in the chiropractic community. Dr. Gra-ham had helped his mom relieve quite a few problems including chronic debili-tating migraine headaches. One day she developed a severe ulcer on her leg, which the medical doctors at the time were unable to support. As the condition worsened, it was recommended that she consider amputation. She and her son (Dr. Holtom) declined, and based on her previous success, he asked his mother to consider speaking with Dr. Graham. His mother insisted that her issues did not warrant a chiropractor. Dr. Holtom requested that she give him the opportunity to discuss possible treat-ment with Dr. Graham. “What have you got to lose – just the leg?” On the phone, Dr. Graham agreed to examine and see if perhaps he could www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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