Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography: Physician and Founding Father of America

By Doug West

Do you want to learn about Dr. Benjamin Rush but don’t have the time or patience to read a thick book? Then this is the short and concise book for you!!
The book “Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography” covers the many accomplishments of this amazing patriot and physician:
•He was a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
•Served as the Surgeon-General of the Middle Department of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
•He was one of the few physicians that stayed in Philadelphia during the great yellow fever outbreak of 1793.
•He established the first free medical dispensary in the United States that treated the thousands of the poor at no charge.
•Served as president of the “Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.”
•Founded Dickenson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
•He was one of the first doctors to treat mental illness as a medical condition and developed treatments. Today he is recognized as the “Father of Psychiatry” in America.
•And more...
The book “Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography” gives a crisp look at the life and times of the man Benjamin Rush. To illustrate the story of his life there are numerous pictures of the people, places, and events that were part of the life of this patriot and leading physician of the United States. In addition, the book contains: a list of reference books for further reading, a timeline of Dr. Rush’s life and events of that period of history, and a section that contains short biographical sketches of the key individuals in the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug West
• Release date: Jan 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463089071

Doug West

Doug West is a retired engineer, small business owner, and an experienced non-fiction writer with several books to his credit. His writing interests are general, with expertise in science, history, biographies, numismatics, and “How to” topics. Doug has a B.S. in Physics from the Missouri School of Science and Technology and a Ph.D. in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He lives with his wife and little dog “Millie” near Kansas City, Missouri.

Book preview

Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography

Physician and Founding Father of America

By Doug West, Ph.D.

C&D Publications

Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography

Physician and Founding Father of America

By Doug West, Ph.D.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2021 Doug West

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Early Years

Chapter 2 - The Revolutionary War

Chapter 3 - The Conway Cabal

Chapter 4 - Social Reformer and Humanitarian

Chapter 5 - American Hippocrates

Chapter 6 - Final Days and Legacy

Timeline of Benjamin Rush’s Life

Biographical Sketches

References and Further Reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Additional Books in the 30 Minute Book Series

Preface

Welcome to the book, Dr. Benjamin Rush: A Short Biography. This book is volume 51 of the 30 Minute Book Series, and as the name of the series implies, if you are an average reader this book should take less than an hour to read. Since this short book is not meant to be an all-encompassing biography of Benjamin Rush, you may want to know more about this important historical figure. To help you with this, there are several good references at the end of this book. I have also provided a Timeline, in order to link together the important events in the life of Benjamin Rush, and a section titled Biographical Sketches, which includes brief biographies of some of the key individuals in the book. In the text, those individuals that are in one of the biographical sketches will have their name in bold print the first time they appear in the book.

Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoy your time reading about the life and times of this famous physician and founding father of the United States.

Doug West

January 2021

Introduction

Benjamin Rush, born of humble beginnings near Philadelphia before the American Revolution, learned the value of education early. His father died when he was a young boy, forcing him and his brother to go and live with his uncle, who just happened to run an excellent preparatory school. From there, Benjamin would go on to what is now Princeton University and travel to Scotland to study at a prestigious medical school. While in Europe gaining his medical education, the young men he socialized with ignited within him a spark of revolutionary fervor against hereditary monarchy. When he returned to Philadelphia as Benjamin Rush M.D., he went to work immediately helping the poor and destitute of the city. The good doctor’s medical practice was interrupted by the war for independence as the colonies fought to separate from the British empire. Rush was a zealous patriot, striking up a friendship with the revolutionary Thomas Paine and encouraging him to pen the pamphlet Common Sense that, as George Washington stated, …is working a powerful change there in the minds of many men. Rush served in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. His signature on that legendary document took great bravery, as it ensured a death sentence if he were captured by the British. During the Revolutionary War he served as the Surgeon General for the Middle Army and worked to raise the level of care wounded soldiers received in the field hospitals.