Rush, Benjamin (1745–1813)

Medicine and Politics

On his return to the United States, Rush was appointed Professor of Chemistry at the College of Philadelphia and launched a public career as a political activist and advocate of colonial rights. As a physician, he practiced extensively among the poor. In 1771, Rush published essays on slavery, temperance, and health. In 1774, he delivered the annual guest lecture at the Philosophical Society, titled ‘Natural History of Medicine Among the Indians of North America.’ Two years later, after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, he was elected to Congress. The same year, he married Julia Stockton, daughter of another signatory of the Declaration, and together they had 13 children. Indiscreet criticism of George Washington, however, somewhat sullied his reputation and led him to resign a medical post in the Continental Army. Nonetheless, he attended the wounded at various Revolutionary War battles while retaining his medical posts in Philadelphia.

In 1793, Rush was credited with overcoming the yellow fever epidemic in his home city, during which he treated over a 100 patients a day. A founder of Dickinson College, Rush was also a strong advocate of public education, including education of women. Rush served as Professor of Medical Theory and Clinical Practice at the University of Pennsylvania for 22 years, and from 1799 until his death, he was also Treasurer of the U.S. Mint. In 1803, Rush succeeded Benjamin Franklin as President of Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery.

Health Beliefs and Publications

Rush's most important publications include An Inquiry Into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Mind and Body (1784), Medical Inquiries and Observations (a five-volume set, last published in 1806), Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophica (1798), Sixteen Introductory Lectures (1811), and Diseases of the Mind (1812, 5th ed., 1835). He also edited several other medical books. Some of Rush's [Page 928]medical ideas, such as his beliefs about the value of bloodletting and purging, have proved to be ill founded. On the other hand, he sensed the dangers of tobacco use and is recognized as the first physician to define alcohol dependence, or what he termed inebriety, as a disease.