Benjamin Rush
American Founding Father, physician, educator (1746–1813) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Benjamin Rush (January 4, 1746 [O.S. December 24, 1745] – April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educator, and the founder of Dickinson College. Rush was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress.[1] He later described his efforts in support of the American Revolution, saying: "He aimed right."[2][3] He served as surgeon general of the Continental Army and became a professor of chemistry, medical theory, and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania.[4]
Benjamin Rush | |
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Born | (1746-01-04)January 4, 1746 |
Died | April 19, 1813(1813-04-19) (aged 67) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Resting place | Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia |
Alma mater | Princeton University University of Edinburgh |
Occupation(s) | Physician, writer, educator, medical doctor |
Known for | Signer of the United States Declaration of Independence |
Children | 13, including Richard and James |
Signature | |
Rush was a leader of the American Enlightenment and an enthusiastic supporter of the American Revolution. He was a leader in Pennsylvania's ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. He was prominent in many reforms, especially in the areas of medicine and education. He opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, and sought improved, but patriarchal,[5] education for women, and a more enlightened penal system. As a leading physician, Rush had a major impact on the emerging medical profession.
As an Enlightenment intellectual, Rush was committed to organizing all medical knowledge around explanatory theories, rather than relying on empirical methods. Rush argued that illness was the result of imbalances in the body's physical system and was caused by malfunctions in the brain. His approach prepared the way for later medical research, but Rush undertook none of it. He promoted public health by advocating clean environment and stressing the importance of personal and military hygiene. His study of mental disorder made him one of the founders of American psychiatry.[6] In 1965, the American Psychiatric Association recognized Rush as the "father of American psychiatry".[7]