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He discovered that other areas of the skin, showing sensitivity when pressed, could identify diseased body parts. In 1898 he published a paper in which he called his findings "Head's zones" or "zones of hyperalgesia". During this same time period in Germany, Dr. Alfon Cornelius was investigating a similar theory. He discovered that pressure applied to certain spots of the body triggered muscle contractions, changed blood pressure, variation in warmth and moisture in the body were observed, and the mental state of the patient was directly affected. With the knowledge he discovered, Dr. Cornelius published a paper called "Druckpunkte (pressure points) the origin and significances'". Also, during the 1890’s, Nobel Prize winner Sir Charles Sherrington, proved that the whole nervous system and body adjusts to a stimulus when it was applied to any part of the body. The Russians, beginning with Drs. Ivan Pavlov and Vladimir Bekhterev, had also been researching reflex responses in the body for nearly a century. However, it was Dr. William H. Fitzgerald who advanced and developed the initial popular practice of Reflexology in Western society.

The Beginning of Modern Foot and Hand Reflexology
Dr. Fitzgerald studied at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1895. For two and a half years he practiced medicine in Boston City Hospital before transferring to the Central London Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, England. He also practiced under the famous Professors Politzer and Chiari at an ear, nose and throat clinic in Vienna. It is believed that while in Vienna, Dr. Fitzgerald read the papers on pressure therapy, which led him to research these theories further. It was this research that led him to refine the zone theory.

Dr. Fitzgerald’s Initial Findings
In 1913 Dr. Fitzgerald brought his initial findings to the attention of the medical profession while he was head of the Nose and Throat Department of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. He discovered that pressure, when applied to certain points on the body, could relieve pain and improve the functions of certain organs of the body. In his research Dr. Fitzgerald developed a system of ten zones running from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and hands. Dr. Edwin Bowers, medical critic and writer, investigated Dr. Fitzgerald's claims and, after satisfying his skepticism, jointly authored with Dr. Fitzgerald the book "Zone Therapy". Working closely with Dr. Fitzgerald was another medical doctor by the name of Dr. Joe Shelby Riley.

The Horizontal Reflexes Are Mapped
In 1924, because of his research with Dr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Riley published a book called “Zone Reflex”. In his book Dr. Riley, for the first time in recorded history, suggests the existence of horizontal zones going across the body in an orderly pattern.

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