It was considered by many legal experts and health practitioners one of the most important cases involving health are in American history. Yet, it was almost totally ignored by the news media.

After more than a decade of courtroom battling that could make the cases on Law & Order seem dull, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a prior ruling in the case of Wilk vs. A.M.A.

The ruling, made by United States Court of Appeals Judge Susan Getzendanner on February 7, 1990, found the American Medical Association (AMA) GUILTY of conspiring with other health care organizations to conduct "an illegal boycott of chiropractors."

The case began in 1976, when Chester Wilk, an Illinois chiropractor, and four other doctors of chiropractic, filled a restraint-of-trade lawsuit against the AMA. They charged that the AMA's discrimination against chiropractors hurt their practices. But the real problem started many years before.

According to the evidence produced during the trial, the medical community had for decades tried to establish a monopoly by stamping out alternative practitioners. As chiropractic began to grow in popularity, the need to stop such a fierce competitor became even more urgent.

Throughout the Wilk case, as it came to be known, the chiropractors' evidence - including official AMA memos - showed that the giant organization was waging a systematic campaign to destroy the credibility of any alternative health care field. Because chiropractic was the most threatening to them, it was the prime target.

Distorted information and outright lies were spread about chiropractic, which the AMA labeled an "unscientific cult." Its member doctors were forbidden to refer patients to chiropractors or accept referrals from them. Doctors of chiropractic were barred from working in hospitals, or even ordering diagnostic tests from medical facilities.

The evidence also clearly indicated that these steps were NOT taken to protect the public from a bunch of "quacks." They were taken to eliminate the competition.

At long last, thanks to this case, chiropractic was vindicated. The lies and propaganda put out by the AMA were finally going to be exposed - or were they?

At the end of the trial, the judge ordered the AMA to stop its illegal activities against chiropractic, and even made it publish the entire court injunction in its Journal of the American Medical Association. But, despite efforts by chiropractic organizations around the country, there was little media coverage of the case.

A couple of paragraphs appeared in a few newspapers, and a quick statement was included on one or two television shows, but for the most part, information on the landmark case was buried. What if the case had involved a conspiracy by Pepsi to illegally destroy Coca Cola? What if Burger King had sued McDonalds for telling lies in order to eliminate the competition? The media would have had daily coverage of every accusation. But, the story of a handful of chiropractors going against the powerful medical organization - a true "David and Goliath" battle - was virtually ignored.

One reason was that, despite the evidence brought forward during the trial, many people - including news reporters - still believed the old tales about chiropractors. Health news editors were usually M.D.'s, who had been thoroughly indoctrinated in anti-chiropractic bias. The stories never made it past their desks.

Another reason for the news blackout was fear of economic pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, which is closely aligned to the medical profession. Chiropractic is a drug-free health care approach and obviously isn't in favor with the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical complex.

Although information on this important Supreme Court case should have been yelled from the rooftops, it was only whispered. Yet the sound of a whisper can carry, and the message is finally being heard.