Major Bertrand DeJarnette

Major Bertrand DeJarnette — "Major" was his given name, not a military rank — was a trained engineer before a serious injury of his own led him to manual medicine. He studied both osteopathy and chiropractic and combined the thinking of both disciplines into a system of his own, refined over decades: Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT).

At the center of SOT lies the relationship between the sacrum and the occiput and the rhythm that connects them through the nervous system and the meninges. DeJarnette developed a differentiated system of "categories" for classifying and specifically treating dysfunctions of the pelvis and the base of the skull — using wedge-shaped blocks that harness the patient's own weight and breathing for gentle correction. This places SOT among the low-force, highly systematized methods of the profession.

Beyond his technique proper, DeJarnette worked intensively on cranial chiropractic and the role of the skull bones in the health of the nervous system — a field overlooked by many in his time. He passed on his work over decades through extensive seminars and writings. He died in 1992; Sacro-Occipital Technique continues to be taught worldwide and is maintained by organizations such as SORSI and SOTO.