Sylva Ashworth (1874–1958) was an American chiropractor, who played a significant role in developing the chiropractic field.
Ashworth is often referred to as the "Grand Old Lady of Chiropractic", as she was the matriarch of a long line of the Cleveland family of notable chiropractors.
[2] Sylva was a single mother of four children, and she suffered severe health problems, including "valvular" heart trouble, diabetes with leg ulcers, cystic tumors, and dropsy; due to these issues, she was not expected to survive more than a few months when she first tried chiropractic as a last resort from a local Nebraska chiropractor.
This led her to enroll at the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and she graduated in May 1910 at the age of 35.
[4] Her accomplishments include a reputation as a charitable practitioner delivering chiropractic care to death row inmates of the Nebraska penitentiary in Lincoln, 1918 Influenza victims, and many others in her community.