Work Title: Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush

Modern full biography of the physician-signer: politics, medicine, yellow fever, mental‑health reform.

Commercial; ISBN 9780804140065.

Benjamin Rush

Early Life and Medical Training

Benjamin Rush was born on January 4, 1746, in Byberry, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton at age fourteen and studied medicine in Philadelphia and Edinburgh. Upon returning to America, he became a leading physician, educator, and advocate for public health.

Revolutionary Advocacy

Rush was an early supporter of American independence and used his pen to promote revolutionary ideals. He served in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. His writings emphasized liberty, education, and moral reform as pillars of a free society.

Medical and Social Reform

After the war, Rush became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and helped found the nation’s first medical school. He championed humane treatment for the mentally ill, prison reform, and public education. His work laid the foundation for American psychiatry and social medicine.

Political Engagement

Rush served as Surgeon General of the Continental Army, though his tenure was marked by controversy. He remained active in civic affairs and corresponded with many Founders, including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. His letters reveal a deep commitment to republican virtue and national unity.

Legacy

Benjamin Rush died on April 19, 1813. He is remembered as the “father of American psychiatry” and a visionary reformer whose influence extended beyond medicine into education, politics, and moral philosophy. His signature on the Declaration affirms his place among the nation’s architects.

Source:
McCabe, James D. The Centennial Book of American Biography: Embracing the Lives of the Great Men Whose Deeds Illustrate the First 100 Years of American Independence. Philadelphia and Chicago: P. W. Ziegler & Co., 1876. Internet Archive