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The Librarian's Mantra

"It is the duty of every good citizen to use all the opportunities which occur to him, for preserving documents relating to the history of our country." Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)

BENJAMIN RUSH was born in Pennsylvania, and is known widely as a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As a student at Princeton (and later Edinburgh), he studied medicine, and wrote numerous essays on medical theory and anatomy. He became a leading authority on American medicine, and trained several notables studied medicine under him, including James McHenry and David Hosack. Because of his notable discoveries, he became known as the "Father of American Medicine."

He also had an interest in politics, social activism, and education. He wrote textbooks on social morals, political causes, and schools. He advocated the abolition of slavery (co-founding the first American abolition society with Benjamin Franklin in 1774), equal education rights for women (establishing the first-ever American college for women), Christian education (co-founded Dickinson College) and the general use of the Bible in schools. He also was a leading founder of the first American Bible Society, in Philadelphia.

Many of the Founding Fathers, even those who disagreed with him on matters of policy and medicine, highly respected Benjamin Rush. His group of friends was highly diverse, for he had the ability to keep his personal friendships clean of political strife. His close circle of friends included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Witherspoon.

Medical Inquiries and Observations (1805)

Other Works:

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