Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1065

BENJAMIN RUSH (1745-1813) Medical inquiries and observations. Published by M. Carey [etc.] 1809 3rd ed. Vol. I: [vi] 456 pp.; Vol. II: 453 pp.; Vol. III: 443 pp.; Vol. IV: vi, 427 [19] pp. 20.6 cm.

A Philadelphian, Rush was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, active in the Revolutionary War, and a leader in social betterment causes. He was on the medical faculty of the University of Pennsylvania after its creation in 1791 and also was treasurer of the U.S. Mint from 1797 until his death. While he was a diligent and devoted practitioner, his methods were sometimes called into question, particularly his excessive use of bleeding, or "depletion." Nevertheless, he was one of the most influential figures in the first hundred years of American medicine. His Medical inquiries and observations, first published from 1789 to 1793, was one of his major literary efforts.

Cited references: Austin 1662; Garrison-Morton 80 (1st ed., 1789-1793); Osler 3859

Gift of Dr. Julia Hill