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 THE 
 
 CHARACTER OT RUSH, 
 
 AN 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 TO THE 
 
 COURSE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. 
 
 BY THOMAS D. MITCHELL, M. D, 
 
 Profeisor of Theory and Practice in the Philadelphia College of Medicine, OAid 
 Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Medical Depart- 
 ment of Transylvania University, in Lexington, Ky. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE CL A^8:To V QC .'^/TflT^^s 
 
 V/ 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 JOHN H. GIHON, PRINTER, 
 
 TH EAST COMXKR OF SIXTH A>D CHESNUT STREETS. 
 
 1848. 
 
r 
 
 1 . 
 
 / 
 
 • THE 
 
 CHARACTER OF RUSH, 
 
 AN 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 TO THK 
 
 COURSE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MEDICINE, 
 
 IN THE 
 
 PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. 
 
 BY THOMAS D. MITCHELL, M. D,, 
 
 Profeticrr of Theory and Practice in the Philadelphia College of Medicine, and 
 Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Medical Depart- 
 ment of Transylvania University, in Lexington, Ky. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE CLASS. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 JOHN H. GIHON, PRINTER, 
 
 >ORTH EAST CORNER OF SIXTH AND CHESNUT STREETS. 
 1848. 
 
 
E-^oz 
 
 Philadelphia College of Medici:ve, JMauch 22, 1848, 
 
 PnoF. T. D. MicTHELi. : 
 
 Dear Sir, — At a late meeting of the students under your instruction, 
 the undersigned were appointed a Committee to request, for publication, a copy 
 of yuur Introductory Lecture. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 R. J. Kittheuge, N. H. 
 W. G. LoMAx, S C. 
 L. G. ViNAL, Me. 
 
 D. RuGGLEs, Mass. 
 
 E. B. Hall, N. J. 
 T. M. Flint, Pa. 
 W. G. Hull, Md. 
 T. Christian, Va. 
 
 G. W. Mahkham, Miss. 
 T. S. Jones, Ala. 
 W. C. Webb, Mo. 
 E. DE St.Romes, La. 
 
 J. C. HATHEWAr, B. A. 
 
 Committee. 
 J. C. Calhoun, Jh., S. C, Chairman. 
 N. R. Moseley, Pa., Secretary. 
 
 To Messrs. Kittredge, Lomax, &c.: 
 
 Gentlemen, — The polite request made by yourselves and others, as a 
 Committee from the Medical Class, is cheerfully accorded. The Lecture is at 
 your disposal. 
 
 I am very respectfully, &c., 
 
 Thomas D. Mitchell. 
 Philadelphia, March 24, 1848. 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 
 
 Delightful, indeed, is the memory of the illustrious dead, 
 whose three-score years and ten have been faithfully devoted 
 to the cause of humanity. And as we love to cast a lingering 
 look upon the western sky, effulgent with the impress of the 
 setting sun, so does it elevate the soul with sentiments of true 
 sublimity to gaze upon the halo of glory that rests upon the 
 tomb of him, who lived, iK)t for himself, but for the world. 
 
 The beholder of God's omnipotence as displayed in the 
 wonders of Niagara, in dumb amazement lost, scans the 
 mighty picture ; and, for the moment, feels the inspiration of 
 the Deity, who holds the thundering cataract in the hollow of 
 his hand ; and sceptic though he be, whispers to himself, " my 
 Father made it all." And he who, for the first time, ploughs 
 the heaving ocean, dashed about in space illimitable, the 
 measureless empyrean above, and all around a waste of 
 •waters, fathomless, exclaims, " a God is here." But what are 
 these, in nature's world of wonders, to the climax of Almighty 
 skill, that brougH^to being man, immortal, intellectual man, 
 the noblest work of God ? For him the cataract, the ocean 
 and the world were made, and he invested, by the glorious 
 Architect, with high dominion over all. 
 
 The excellent of our race may well command the admiration, 
 love and gratitude of posterity, while time endures. The 
 principles of virtue, unlike the stupendous productions of 
 nature, have a deathless existence that invests them with 
 freshness and vigor, that shall flourish and bloom long after 
 the head and the heart that developed them, shall have moul- 
 dered in the dust. Where is the American that feels not the 
 glow of patriotism warming and expanding his bosom, at 
 mention of the name of Washington ; and when think you 
 
4 THE CHARACTER OF RlfSH. 
 
 will the day dawn in thrice happy America, when it will be 
 otherwise? And whose sympathy, all the world over, is un- 
 moved when the benevolence oi Howard is the orator's theme? 
 
 The profession which you have chosen, gentlemen, has not 
 been deficient in illustrious men, whose genius, talents, profes- 
 sional and moral worth, stand out as bright and splendid incen- 
 tives to vigorous effort, to reach the hill-top of glory, and to win 
 the verdict of "great and good" from an honest posterity, I 
 come before you to-night, with a feint sketch of such an example, 
 with an imperfect outline of the character of one who has long 
 since paid the debt of nature, but whose excellence lives in the 
 fond remembrance of thousands, and must by necessity live, 
 because in its very essence it is imperishable. 
 
 The Sydenham of America is the theme for the present 
 hour ; and what topic could have been selected more befitting 
 this occasion, than the character of him, who has with great 
 propriety been proclaimed "the father of American medicine ?" 
 That he was a member of the first faculty that gave public 
 lectures on the various branches of medical science, in these 
 United States, is part of our country's history ; and that his 
 oral and printed disquisitions gave a new impetus and tone to 
 the profession, is equally undeniable. Is it enthusiasm to feel 
 a national as well as a state and a city pride, in reference to 
 such a man ? Be it so. It is not only pardonable to love the 
 name and to cherish the memory of one^hose virtues have 
 inspired our veneration, but it is praiseworthy to cultivate 
 such feelings. Born almost within hearing distance of the 
 spot on which Doctor Rush resided during a large portion of 
 his Hfe, and intimately acquainted with his personal worth, 
 his private and public character, for many years, I claim to 
 know a little more of this great man, than some who have 
 presumed to judge him on hearsay evidence, or from a casual 
 and imperfect survey of his deportment. That he had faults, 
 is only to affirm his descent from our fallen progenitor, and 
 that in despite of the illustrious qualities that will cluster 
 around his name to the end of time, he was but a man. Yet 
 his very failings often served by the power of contrast, to add 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 5 
 
 greater lustre to his intrinsic worth. No splendid heraldry, 
 nor potent charm of wealth, prepared his way. Apart from 
 all extraneous influence, that oft supplies the place of mind, 
 he rose like the towering pyramids of Egypt, so high above 
 the pebbles at his feet, as to inspire an almost reverential awe, 
 that hid his foibles, with its kindly mantle, from the gaze of men. 
 And although a deep-wrought consciousness of his surpassing 
 excellence could not turn back the shafts of envy that were 
 directed against him, even his enemies were compelled to 
 acknowledge his superiority. And at this day where is the 
 individual who ventures to amplify the faults of the venerable 
 Rush ? If there be such an one in this goodly land, he must 
 be sought among the few who were stamped by that master 
 spirit with the epithet "ungrateful pupils;" some poor, worn- 
 out, withered remnant of a man, shorn of every thing that 
 appertains to the loveliness of humanity, scathed by the blight- 
 ing blast of public indignation, an outcast, lonely, powerless : 
 whose jaundiced eye fails to discern in all the moral and in- 
 tellectual horizon around him a single spot, untinged with his 
 own characteristic dye. 
 
 Yet Rush had his failings. He was a splendid mass of 
 precious metal, with here and there a superficial speck, which 
 by contrast gave beauty to the whole ; but which, as it rolled 
 down the hill of time, grew brighter and more bright by cease- 
 less attrition, till at length every blemish has been well nigh 
 effaced, and the delighted beholder now gazes, with unmingled 
 satisfaction, on the almost pure, unsullied gold. Illustrious 
 man ! had he lived in the days of the heathen philosophy, he 
 would have been deified for his virtues, and his monument 
 would have honored some conspicuous niche in an idol temple. 
 But he terminated his career of mortality in a civilized land, 
 and to this hour, no fitting monument commemorates his 
 worth, or bears records of his talents. Yet these shall not be 
 forgotten. In the hearts of his pupils, a monument has been 
 erected purer and more lasting than the virgin marble, and the 
 fire that glowed on the altar of their affections has warmed and 
 
6 THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 
 
 animated their sons, and diffused its genial influence wherever 
 the science of medicine has been cultivated. 
 
 It is not to be inferred from what has been said, nor from 
 any thing yet to be uttered, that the speaker endorses all the 
 sentiments of Dr. Rush. He scorns a blind adhesion to any 
 man or to any system, yet he feels entirely free to gather instruc- 
 tion from every available source, in order to impress the pupil 
 with just ideas of the magnitude of the profession in which he 
 has embarked. Nor is it any part of the present effort to 
 attempt the analysis of what has been called " the system of 
 Rush." To make such a use of his interesting character, as 
 may prompt the student to a virtuous ambition to serve his 
 country and promote the happiness of society, as well as to 
 advance the interests of the profession, is the full scope of my 
 present purpose. 
 
 In the further prosecution of the pleasing task before me, I 
 shall endeavor to exhibit the venerable Rush, as concisely as I 
 can, in the following aspects, viz. : As a man of science ; as a 
 patriot and citizen ; as a writer ; as a teacher ; as a friend of 
 virtue, religion and good order ; as a practitioner of medicine ; 
 and lastly, as a pattern for candidates for the medical profession. 
 
 In noticing Dr. Rush, as a man of science, I may refer, 
 with great propriety, to the early history of the^j parent school 
 of medicine in America, in which he was the first teacher of 
 Chemistry. At the time of his selection for that important 
 post, he was in Edinburg, whither he had repaired to complete 
 his medical education ; and such men as Morgan, and Shippen, 
 and Kuhn, at whose instance he was chosen, were too com- 
 petent to judge of qualification, to commit a mistake in a matter 
 so important to their novel enterprise. They knew their man ; 
 and hence we find in the papers of the day, an imposing an- 
 nouncement of the arrival in this country of the new Professor, 
 and Ihe apparatus procured by him for the use of the College. 
 I have examined with considerable care, a manuscript copy of 
 the course of chemistry, given by Dr. Rush, while he filled 
 that department, and am satisfied that he did the subject ample 
 justice. 
 
THE CHARACTER OP RUSH. 7 
 
 The early predilection of Rush for chemical science seems 
 to have impressed his mind, most deeply, with the important 
 bearing of that science on the theory and practice of medicine; 
 and hence it occurred, that in all his chemical references while 
 Professor of the Institutes and Practice, he was uniformly cor- 
 rect, according to the existing state of the science. Not long 
 before his decease, the revolution effected by the introduction 
 of the chloridic theory and the experiments with the new 
 metals, was claiming the attention of our scientific men ; and 
 failed not to rouse the enthusiasm of Rush, who evinced a 
 deep interest in the all absorbing topics. 
 
 But I may, with great propriety, refer you to all the writings 
 of this distinguished man, and especially to his volume of 
 Moral and Philosophical Essays, for proof of his love and 
 zeal for science. He carried those qualities wherever he went, 
 and laid under contribution, every body and every thing, to yield 
 some additional item of useful information. To indolence, both 
 mental and physical, he was a stranger : but, like the untiring 
 bee that gathers honey from every variety of flower, he culled 
 something valuable from sources the most insignificant and 
 unpromising. Hence it was, that he became so well versed in 
 the science of human nature, and so perfectly understood the 
 springs and secret workings of the human heart. 
 
 The admirable essay on the Education proper in a Repub- 
 lic, shows most abundantly, that its author possessed, not only 
 much scientific knowledge, but that he was ardently desirous to 
 have all the youth in the land instructed, at an early period, in 
 mathematics, natural history and chemistry. In one of his 
 introductory lectures, he expressed a hope, that the time would 
 soon arrive, when the elementary principles of medical science, 
 to a certain extent, should enter into all our systems of public 
 education. As additional evidence of the love of science that 
 actuated the subject of these remarks, it is proper to say, that 
 in a very important sense, he was the founder and father of 
 Dickinson College, in this state ; that by his influence mainly, 
 if not exclusively, the distinguished Dr. Nesbit left Sco'tland, to 
 become its President. 
 
8 THE CHARACTER OK RUSH. 
 
 But what shall we say of Dr. Rush as a patriot and citizen? 
 This enlightened audience would smile, perhaps, if I were to 
 tell them, that he was among the earliest advocates of Ameri- 
 can Independence, for almost every school-boy has heard of 
 this. Who among you has not beheld his signature on the 
 immortal document that first proclaimed the disenthralment of 
 the colonies from despotic vassalage ? Facts like these need 
 no interpreter, no commentator. They tell their import to 
 the world, and will do so while time shall endure. The man 
 who loves his country for its civil and religious liberties, and 
 who is ready at any hour to sacrifice life and property and 
 character to perpetuate the boon, is indeed a patriot, and such 
 an one, too, as the eye seldom rests upon in these days of 
 onward march and improvement. We are most truly a patriotic 
 people, if love of office and fondness for the loaves and fishes 
 are to be the measure of our patriotism. But when a disin- 
 terestedness that perils life and all that man presses to his heart 
 as dearer than life, is to be the lest of patriot zeal and fidelity, 
 alas ! how many are there who if weighed in the balances 
 would be found wanting ! 
 
 The purity of Rush's patriotism is apparent, not merely from 
 the relative position and strength of the colonies and the mother 
 country, but also from the fact that his situation as a public 
 teacher, and his engagements as a physician presented an 
 adequate plea for declining to take an active part in the diffi- 
 culties which then blackened our country's horizon. But he 
 was impelled by motives of the most exalted nobility. He felt 
 that commanding talents were needful in the councils of the 
 nation, at such a momentous crisis ; and therefore he was not 
 listless to the call of his country, but hastened to her rescue, 
 at the peril of life, and all the glittering, youth-inspiring pros- 
 pects that environed his pathway. And who knows but that 
 the towering spirit of Arago and Lamartine that but yesterday 
 burst the fetters of despotism in France, to give unshackled 
 freedom to her impulsive millions, caught the hallowed fire 
 from the altar of American liberty, kindled by the quenchless 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 9 
 
 ardor of the spirits heaven sent to meet our own tremendous 
 crisis ? 
 
 Nor was it only while engaged in the fearful struggle that 
 stamped independence on America, that the patriotism of Rush 
 was coi spicu us. Trace his career through a long life, even 
 to its last agony, and you behold a devotion to his country's 
 weal, that lias seldom, if ever, been surpassed. In 178G, but 
 a very few years after the recognition of our independence, 
 we find him zealously occupied in efforts to strengthen the 
 foundations of that independence and to perpetuate its bless- 
 ings to the last generation. In the same year, he addressed 
 to the legislature of his own state, his memorable plan for the 
 general diffusion of learning, which led the way for some of 
 the most important educational provisions that have ever 
 been devised or adopted in any country. So valuable and yet 
 concise are his leading arguments in favor of general education, 
 that I venture to quote them here. "Education," says he, "is 
 friendly to religion, inasmuch as it assists in removing preju- 
 dice, superstition and enthusiasm; in promoting just notions of 
 Deity, and in enlarging our knowledge of his works. It is 
 favorable to liberty, also, for this can flourish and endure only 
 in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are in- 
 capable of appreciating their rights, as they should, and if 
 learning be confined to the few, liberty can neither be equal 
 nor universal. It promotes just ideas of laws and government. 
 It is friendly to good manners. It promotes agriculture, the 
 great^basis of national wealth and happiness. It tends to the 
 improvement of manufactures, which have been multiplied 
 and perfected, in proportion to the cultivation of the arts and 
 sciences." 
 
 These and similar declarations which abound in the writings 
 of Dr. Rush, prove, incontrovertibly, that he was incited by 
 the truest, purest patriotism. In truth, his chief aim, in all 
 his essays, seems to have been to perpetuate the blessings of 
 his beloved country: and to do this, by placing them on the 
 most enduring basis, viz. — the virtue and intelligence of the 
 people. 
 
10 THE CHARACTER OF RUSH, 
 
 What prompted him, think you, when the entire world was 
 wrapped in a sleep as lethargic as the slumber of the grave, 
 in reference to the ravages of intemperance, to pen that im- 
 perishable article on the abuse of ardent spirits, whose electric 
 power rocked the moral frame-work of society to its centre ? 
 That paper, merited to be stereotyped in letters of gold and to 
 be imbedded in the vault of heaven, to be illumined by the 
 glittering beams of the glowing firmament, that its pure 
 maxims might be read and known of all the countless millions 
 of earth. It contains all the radical principles of the glorious 
 reformation that has since been achieved; and for this alone, 
 he merits the warmest thanks of his country and of the world. 
 Think you, that he courted popularity in this bold effort, or 
 that he feared the frowns and sneers of an indignant public ? 
 Why, sirs, the act was an open defiance of popular sentiment, 
 and a deep-toned denunciation of the fashionable vice of the 
 day. He knew all this, and he felt it too, and if any can 
 deduce from that heroic effort the feintest evidence that it was 
 not inspired by the loftiest patriotism and the purest benevo- 
 lence, I envy not his powers of analysis. Most happy for our 
 country would it be, if the popularity seekers of the present 
 day could be induced to notice this splendid example and 
 attempt its imitation. It was love of country that prompted 
 him, or he had no motive. He saw the black and desolating 
 wand of intemperance waving frightfully over the land, and 
 in the true spirit of patriotism he sounded the alarm. Nor did 
 he sound in vain. The whole country, yea, even the entire 
 civilized earth was roused by his appeal. The danger was 
 measurably realized, and the remedy is at work. 
 
 Let us attend for a few moments to the character of Dr. Rush 
 as a writer. And here it is well to make a distinciion, because 
 there is one in fact that constitutes an important difference. 
 We mean here, to distinguish between writing as a manual 
 exercise, and writing as a mental effort, and in respect of both 
 we have something to say touching the subject of these re- 
 marks. No man abhorred a careless, illegible autograph, more 
 deeply than did Dr. Rush. He was wont to speak of it with 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 11 
 
 pointed emphasis in his public lectures, nor did he overlook it 
 in his published essays. Such was the importance he attached 
 to a fair and legible hand-writing, that he placed it among the 
 leading items of an education preparatory to the study of 
 medicine, lu page 171 of his interesting volume of Introduc- 
 tory Lectures, he has the following pertinent remarks, which 
 commend themselves to every member of our profession : — 
 "Considering how often we are obliged to convey our advice 
 to patients by means of letters, and how many medicines we 
 prescribe in words which are not in common use : remember 
 ing, moreover, how injurious a mistake in a single word or 
 letter may be, or even the neglect of our prescriptions from 
 inability to read them, the writing a fair and legible hand 
 should be regarded as part, not only of the learning, but of the 
 morality of a physician." There is vastly more of sound 
 philosophy in this short extract, than appears on its surface. 
 The mind of man is reflected on every thing he does and says. 
 It appears in the figure of his house, in the color and fashion 
 of his dress. And think you, that it stands not forth con- 
 spicuously in his hand-writing? So dreamed not Lavater, 
 when he recorded the memorable sentiment," he who writes an 
 illegible hand, is rapid, and often impetuous in his judgment." 
 
 You have all, gentlemen, I doubt not, marked the fac similie 
 of Dr. Rush's signature on the printed Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence. A plainer name is not to be found on that document. 
 And if you examine his letters, even those of his old age, the 
 same distinct and intelligible manner greets the eye. 
 
 But if we regard writing as a mental effort, we find in Dr. 
 Rush a model which should ever be present to the physician 
 who desires to accomplish important and lasting results by his 
 pen. Some have wondered that the work on the Diseases of 
 the Mind, and the writings generally of Dr. Rush, should be 
 so easily comprehended, not only by physicians, but by reading 
 men in all ranks of society. But, gentlemen, the secret lies 
 just here. Rush wrote for the good of mankind, and not as 
 do many of our profession, for the mere purpose of making a 
 display. Hence he handled his subject in the common sense 
 
18 THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 
 
 Style of one who understood his business, and felt that no 
 gaudy trappings nor tinsel gewgaws were required to give 
 force and efficiency to argument. His style was very much 
 the language of Nature, and therefore you find, but seldom, 
 a far-fetched, and almost never, a new coined word in his 
 publications. For this reason his vokmie of Essays and his 
 Diseases of the Mind will be read with deep interest long 
 after you and I shall have gone to the grave. Indeed, such is 
 my estimate of the volnme of Essays, that I do not believe a 
 much better service could be rendered to the rising generation 
 (except in the circulation of the Bible) than the republication 
 of it, every twenty years, for gratuitous distribution. 
 
 The charge of plagiarism has been preferred against Dr. 
 Rush, by more than one individual, yet with less evidence of 
 its truthfulness than would apply to other public teachers. 
 What Professor of medicine ever occupied his desk an hour 
 without involving himself in the charge of plagiarism, for that 
 very performance.^ But listen to a witness, who yet lives and 
 enjoys the confidence of his brethren, and mark his affirmation 
 in respect of the book on the Diseases of the Mind, which some, 
 from lackof common sense, have venturedtodenounce asaweak 
 and worthless performance, abounding in plagiarisms. "During 
 my casual attendance on the lectures of the late Professor 
 Brown, of Edinburgh," says Dr. Francis, of New York, •' my 
 national feelings were highly gratified by hearing the successor 
 of Dugald Stewart affirm, that this work on the diseases of the 
 mind, was full of instruction, and exhibited great originality." 
 It is needless to add, gentlemen, that one such testimonial 
 as this, is of more weight than a thousand frivolous ob- 
 jections raised by inflated vanity and inglorious envy. And 
 yet, we presume to quote the testimony of a distinguished 
 foreigner known to all of you, as editor of the Encyclopedia 
 Jimericana,a.nd who, from the fact of being an alien, must be 
 regarded as free from all the prejudices that have agitated the 
 medical mind of our country. Dr. Lieber thus speaks of Rush : 
 " From the result of his individual experience and observation, 
 he established more principles, and added more facts to the 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 13 
 
 science of medicine than all who preceded him in his native 
 country." 
 
 We are in the next place to look at Dr. Rush, as a Teacher 
 or Professor. 
 
 In a former part of this address, reference was made to the 
 ability with which Dr. Rush discharged his duty as Professor 
 of Chemistry in the first medical school in this country. His 
 success in that department established his reputation as a 
 popular instructor, as one apt to teach. The latter quality is 
 indispensable. A man may be profoundly learned, and be 
 destitute of the power of imparting knowledge to others. 
 One of the feeblest teachers I have ever known enjoyed the 
 reputation of very extensive acquaintance with general science 
 and with his own department in particular. But such was the 
 opacity of his mind, such the deranged condition of his mate- 
 rials, that all his efforts to teach, served only to make "con- 
 fusion worse confounded." Two features, at least, are essen- 
 tial to the character of a good teacher. The first is a due 
 acquaintance with the subject ; the second is an aptness to 
 impart that knowledge to others. It was the felicitous union 
 of these qualities that constituted Dr. Rush one of the most 
 pleasing and intelligent lecturers that ever adorned a medical 
 school, and that led to his transfer to the important chair 
 which he filled with such distinguished ability, to the end of 
 his life. 
 
 Of Dr. Rush's manner of lecturing, it is impossible to convey 
 an adequate idea. His voice was one of sweetest euphony, 
 adapting itself most easily to the variety of sentiment that pre- 
 sented, and eminently calculated to rivet the attention of hisclass. 
 Although he read almost every word, and occupied the silting 
 posture throughout his course, with only now and then an 
 exception, he was unquestionably the most eloquent and in- 
 structive teacher I have ever heard. When he desired to give 
 peculiar and unwonted emphasis and power to something he 
 regarded as specially important, he rose from his chair, and 
 with inexpressible dignity, pronounced the sentiment. Weil 
 do I remember, when he was portraying in vivid color* 
 
14 THE CHARACTER OP RUSH. 
 
 the vast importance of just principles in medicine, the electric 
 flash that flitted through the class, on this change of position. 
 Rising from his chair, throwing back his spectacles, and eleva- 
 ting his right hand, he exclaimed, with a pathos never to be 
 forgotten, '• If my grave may be honored with a column to tell 
 the spot where my dust reposes, I ask no better epitaph than 
 this, ' he lived and died an advocate for principles in medicine.' " 
 
 There has never lived a physician who contended more 
 earnestly for the necessity and usefulness of principles in medi- 
 cine, than Dr. Rush. He has been stigmatized as a theorist. 
 But pray, what is a theorist, but one who thinks? And where 
 is the practitioner, be he invested with the doctorate or pro- 
 fessorate, or degraded to the level of nostrum-monger, who 
 does not theorise, in some sense or other, touching the efficiency 
 of remedies? The facts of medicine are indescribably impor- 
 tant, but their value is wholly dependent on their connexion 
 with theory or principles. The most experienced grandmother 
 in America, whose reputation for the cure of infantile diseases 
 with bitter herbs, is so frequently lauded, is as certainly a 
 theorist as the most renowned system maker in medicine that 
 ever lived. Naked facts are but the skeleton of the animal, 
 which remains passive and inanimate, except as it is vitalised 
 and moved, by the all-potent influence of principles, which 
 constitute the muscle, nerve and vascular system of the fabric. 
 Of what avail are insulated or collected facts to the mariner, 
 aside from the science, the theory, the principles based on the 
 discovery of the compass ? And what but the wise adaptation 
 of principles to facts, has brought the old and new worlds, as 
 well as the remotest spots in our own country, almost to juxta 
 position, through the instrumentality of the steam-ship and 
 the lightning flash of the telegraph ? 
 
 I verily believe that no man has done half so much to estab- 
 lish the just relation between principles and experience, as Dr. 
 Rush. And although many of his views in relation to this 
 cardinal topic have been ridiculed by men of various caliber, 
 in this country and in Europe, I can point you, and shall do it 
 in my course of lectures, to facts proving incontestibly the 
 
THJE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 15 
 
 adoption of those identical views by some of the most eminent 
 physicians of Great Britain, among whom I name Elliotson, 
 Stokes, and Graves. In this connexion, allow me to commend 
 to your careful perusal, the introductory lecture of Dr. Rush, 
 delivered in November, 1791, on the necessary connexion 
 between observation and reasoning in medicine; and as you 
 read it, forget, for a moment, that it was written nearly sixty 
 years ago, and you will be very apt to regard it as a master- 
 piece of some towering intellect of the nineteenth century. It 
 teaches most truly, that correct practice is not necessarily de- 
 pendent on mere locality, nor on facts accumulated by long 
 experience, but that sound principles are absolutely indispen- 
 sable to rational and successful practice. 
 
 But as a teacher of medicine. Dr. Rush, more than any who 
 had preceded him, felt and acted under the inspiration of the spirit 
 of improvement. He was not one of your in statu quo men, 
 but in the phraseology of the West, he believed in going ahead. 
 As evidence of the zeal with which he inculcated this feeling, 
 I quote the closing paragraphs of his lecture on the causes 
 which have retarded the progress of medicine, written forty-five 
 years ago : " If I have not removed any part of the rubbish 
 which surrounded the fabric of our science, nor suggested any 
 thing better in its place, I feel a consolation in believing, that 
 I have taught many of your predecessors to do both, by ex- 
 citing in them a spirit of inquiry, and a disposition to contro- 
 vert old and doubtful opinions by the test of experiment. I 
 have only to request you to imitate their example. Think, 
 read and observe. Observe, read and think for yourselves." 
 And be it known to every pupil of the Philadelphia College 
 of Medicine, that the same free, untrammelled spirit of inquiry 
 reigns here. We beg of you, not to receive implicitly as true, 
 any doctrine we may inculcate, merely on our authority. We 
 aim at imparting truth and only truth, and yet we may err. 
 Nothing short of a scrupulous examination of every position, 
 can justify you in giving it a place in your medical creed. 
 While we cherish virtue, as first and fairest of the trio, that 
 stamps with imperishable glory the proud flag of our country, 
 
16 THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 
 
 we must not forget, that independence, though last, is not least 
 in the motto, that waves in triumph in the home of the brave 
 and the land of the free. 
 
 That Dr. Rush was not so immovably wedded to favorite 
 notions as some have asserted, is obvious from the well known 
 fact in his history, touching the yellow fever, that formerly de- 
 solated this beautiful city. He was once known as the fearless 
 advocate of the doctrine of contagion, and at a period when 
 that view was generally prevalent. But a more extended 
 acquaintance with facts, and a more philosophical apprehen- 
 sion of the essential nature of the disease, forced him from his 
 position; and in the face of a large niajority of the profession, 
 he felt it his duty to contend for the doctrine of non-contagion. 
 For this change of opinion, though evidently based on a deep 
 and well-grounded conviction, he was compelled to meet the 
 sneers and neglect of many of his brethren, added to which 
 was a very undesirable share of public indignation. 
 
 The public teaching of -Dr. Rush was not circumscribed by 
 the confines of the science of medicine. He availed himself of 
 every suitable occasion to urge the importance of virtuous habits, 
 of good morals, of gentlemanly demeanor, of temperance, and 
 all the qualities calculated to enhance a physician's usefulness 
 in society. Who ever heard from his lips the vulgar jest, the 
 indecent allusion, the profane sneer? Not one, of all the 
 thousands who ever sat within the sound of his voice. Had 
 he been an infidel at heart, as some have falsely insinuated, 
 he was too polite, too well indoctrinated in the principles of 
 common sense and too sensitive himself, to permit an allusion 
 to drop from his desk, that might pollute and vitiate the moral 
 sense. Alas, that his mantle did not rest on all his pupils ! 
 
 It was the decided sentiment of Dr. Rush, that the period of 
 pupilage was, for the most part, too limited; that the welfare 
 of the profession, the elevation of its character, and the good 
 of the community, demanded that students should attend three 
 full courses of lectures^ paying, however, for no more than two. 
 In accordance with this opinion, was his advice publicly and 
 privately given in my hearing, time and again. And, when a 
 
THB CHARACTER OF RUSH. 17 
 
 candidate, not recognised by h\m because concealed in th« 
 green-box, met his interrogatories with special promptness, 
 thereby making the impression of a clear and full understand- 
 ing of the subject, he would inquire, " Sir, are you not a three 
 course student?" and on healing an affirmative response, his 
 deep-felt gratification was evinced in the warm-hearted strains 
 of approbation that followed. As a teacher, he cherished the 
 very natural desire, that his labors might educe the best pos- 
 sible results. Hence his anxiety to prolong the course of study, 
 that what the student attempted to learn, might be acquired 
 in the most perfect manner. And who that looks abroad into 
 the profession at this day, does not perceive the increasing 
 necessity for a revival of the sentiments of the lamented Rush, 
 in reference to medical education ? 
 
 It would be a difficult task, to point out the principal sources 
 of the success and popularity of Rush as a teacher. It could 
 not be found, simply, in the instruction imparted, though 
 valuable beyond price, and clothed as it ever was with the 
 most bewitching eloquence. The sprightly sallies of his vivid 
 imagination, his pleasing and instructive anecdotes, the candor 
 and integrity that were constantly apparent, all these were 
 insufficient to solve the enigma. What then, you inquire, 
 gentlemen, what was the secret? I answer, that language 
 cannot give a satisfactory response. There was a sort of 
 magic influence about the man ; a something in every look 
 and word and thought, that enlivened, warmed and even 
 electrified. It was next to impossible to be passive under his 
 instructions; and I risk nothing in affirming, that no teacher 
 ever had the thinking powers of his hearers more absolutely 
 within his grasp. Pupils were compelled to meditate, reason 
 and judge for themselves, and the habit thus formed by daily 
 practice for several consecutive months, may serve to explain 
 the fact, that in no similar portion of our country's history was 
 so much useful and original matter issued from the press, as 
 during the last twenty years of the life of Dr. Rush. At no 
 period before nor since, were experimental essays exhibited 
 by candidates for the doctorate, to such an extent, as during 
 
 c 
 
IS THB CHARACTER OF RUSH. 
 
 the memorable era, in which the school enjoyed the labi o 
 this excellent teacher. 
 
 But, I name as an important iten>, in attempting to account 
 for the commanding influence of Rush over the minds of his 
 pupils, the well known fact, that they loved him even to vene- 
 ration. There may have been exceptions, yet for the most 
 part, he was regarded with an attachment, almost more than 
 parental. They believed his statements to be true, because 
 they were conscious that he could not descend so low as to 
 deceive intentionally. He scorned to practice deception. His 
 soul rose above such pusilanimity. He felt too tenderly the 
 pressure of responsibility that rested on him, thus to trifle, not 
 only with his pupils, but with the untold thousands to be en- 
 trusted to their care. 
 
 I am next to exhibit Dr. Rush, as a friend of virtuey religion 
 and goodorder. And here, gentlemen, I mightrest contented with 
 reference to the bare eulogy pronounced by the late Dr. Ramsay, 
 of South Carolina, on this star of the new world. This able 
 writer has depicted, in glowing colors, the habitual, practical 
 piety of the subject of his eulogy ; his familiar and conversant 
 reference to the holy scriptures •, his conspicuous, every-day 
 love of religion, and his unsullied practice of the christian 
 virtues. " It would seem," says Ramsay, "as though he had 
 been trained, in early life, for both worlds." And yet, there 
 were not wanting those who endeavored to sully the enviable 
 fame of this good man, by asserting that he was not a christian. 
 That is a point, however, not to be settled here. It is for a 
 higher tribunal than this earth can erect, to decide such grave 
 matters. But, if we may lawfully judge of the tree by its 
 fruit, and if the habitual exercise of the noblest virtues may 
 be regarded as a faithful index of the state of the heart and 
 affections, we shall despair of finding a specimen of practical 
 Christianity, if we cannot educe it from the character of Rush. 
 
 It was well known in Philadelphia, that Dr. Rush more 
 frequently attended public worship, than, perhaps, any other 
 physician ; and that, too, long after it was at all necessary to 
 resort to stratagem or trick, to secure popular favor, and thus 
 
TU£ CHARACTER OF RUSH. ID 
 
 to increase business. He held a seat in several churches at 
 the same time, so that when prevented from attendance at the 
 place for which he had a preference, he might drop in at 
 another, and thus, by his presence and example, evince his 
 regard for religious institutions. 
 
 But the love of order, for which Dr. Rush was so remark- 
 able, must not be overlooked. So high a place did it hold in 
 his estimation, that it grew, almost, to a passion. It was seen 
 in his person, his dress, the humble vehicle in which he made 
 his visits of mercy, his form of writing prescriptions, his office, 
 his library, and every thing about or belonging to him. It 
 was obvious too, in the pointed severity with which he rebuked 
 the disorder so prevalent in the shops of medical practitioners. 
 " When I visit a physician's office," said he, " and find every 
 thing out of place, pill boxes and bottles, books and papers 
 lying pell mell together, I am compelled to infer the confusion 
 and disarrangement of the owner's mind." And who, gentle- 
 men, can fail to perceive the fitness of the inference ? 
 
 But what shall I say of Xhe punctuality of Dr. Rush? In 
 one of his valedictories to a class of medical graduates, he in- 
 troduces a noble statesman of England, who had so high a 
 sense of the moral obligation oi punctuality, that he once said, 
 "had I agreed to meet one of the poorest of my tenants, at a 
 fixed moment, in a remote corner of my woodlands, only for 
 the purpose of playing at push-pin, no consideration could 
 induce me to disappoint him." Nor was Dr. Rush less punc- 
 tilious in more important matters. I heard him deliver three 
 courses of lectures, the last of which was in his sixty-eighth 
 year, and I never knew him to vary five minutes from the 
 regular hour, for appearing at his desk. Indeed, he rarely 
 failed a single minute. He held that the good eff'ects of punc- 
 tuality made it a virtue ; while the neglect or disregard of it, 
 was followed with the consequences of a tnce. In his consul- 
 tations, he was noted for most scrupulous exactness-, and Pro- 
 fessor Francis affirms, in his eulogy, "that in thirty years of 
 service as physician to the Pennsylvania Hospital, he was 
 never known to vary two minutes, from the fixed hour of at- 
 
20 THE CHARACTER OV RUSH. 
 
 tendance." *^ His punctualiti/," says Professor Francis," added 
 to a judicious arrangement of time for naultifarious occupa- 
 tions, secured to him leisure enough for the publication of 
 those works which have given celebrity to his name, and to 
 the school of which he was so distinguished an ornament." 
 
 Of Dr. Rush, as a medical practitioner. Did time permit, I 
 could not more satisfactorily exhibit the character of Dr. Rush, 
 as a practitioner of the healing art, than by reading a paper, 
 entitled, "./i narrative of the state of body and mind of the 
 author, during the prevalence of the 7/ el low fever of 1793, in 
 Philadelphia.^' Let me entreat you to peruse that unique 
 document, as you will find it in volume third of his Medical 
 Inquiries, at page 300. It is an epitome of the entire charac- 
 ter of its great author, and is alone sufficient to perpetuate his 
 memory to the latest generation. Its conclusion is so full of 
 that humility which is above all price, that I quote it in his 
 own words, to show the feelings of his heart, in view of the. 
 terrible pestilence through which he had passed, with com- 
 parative safety. "But wherewithal," says the venerable 
 writer, "shall I come before the great Father and Redeemer of 
 men, and what shall I render to him for the issue of my lifej 
 from the grave?" 
 
 "Here, all language fails; 
 Come, then, expressive silence, muse his praise," 
 
 That Dr. Rush had enemies, in the profession, as well as out 
 of it, especially during the prevalence of the epidemic already 
 noticed, is well known. This unhappy contingency was, 
 perhaps, unavoidable. He was, pre-eminently, a reflecting 
 man; he could not, and would not abandon principles, in the 
 hurry of business. It was, therefore, impossible, as he has 
 remarked in one of his papers, to consult with every prac- 
 tioner around him, to advantage. He knew that the dissimi- 
 larity of views was so great, that there could be no useful 
 approximation, and hence it happened that he frequently 
 declined to hold consultations vviih certain members of the pro- 
 fession, of most respectable standing. Hence the jealousy and 
 envy and hostility that pursued him in some instances, with a 
 
THE CHARACTER OF RUSH. 21 
 
 zeal worthy of a better cause, and which, at the time of his 
 death, had a party in the city of Philadelphia. 
 
 In the sick chamber, the loveliness of the character of Rush 
 found its climax. It was there that the golden chain of attach- 
 ment was forged, that seemed to be stronger than death. He 
 was kindness, gentleness and affection personified ; and with 
 these he won the confidence and love and gratitude of the 
 thousands who were the spontaneous champions of his charac- 
 ter and fame, while living; who wept in crowds at his bier 
 when dead, and followed in the sorrowing multitude that bore 
 his remains to the narrow house with aching hearts and weep- 
 ing eyes, that spoke his worth in the expressive accents of 
 unutterable grief. 
 
 Like Boerhaave of old, his American archoetype appropriated 
 with sacred care, the avails of his Sabbath day's services, 
 to the cause of the poor and needy. And in addition, he 
 visited thousands who could not possibly remunerate him, not 
 only during the prevalence of a desolating epidemic, but at all 
 times. Had he pursued his profession, simply for the sake of 
 amassing a fortune, he had ample opportunity for becoming 
 immensely rich. And yet, notwithstanding the extent of his 
 practice and the frugality of his mode of living, and the general 
 good management of his domestic concerns, he left behind him 
 but little more than enough to enable his family to maintain their 
 usual position in the community. He did not die in the strict 
 and techical sense of the term, a wealthy man. But he died 
 full of honors and left to his family, to his country, and to the 
 be world, a character and a fame, more to valued thang old ; 
 yea so precious that worlds are too poor to purchase it. 
 
 Finally, I am to speak of Dr. Rush, us a pattern for candi- 
 dates for the medical profession. This, gentlemen, you will 
 perceive to be the practical application of all that has been 
 said. The premises have been stated and Illustrated, mainly 
 in reference to the inferential bearing of the whole on those 
 who are about to become constituent parts of the profession. 
 With feeble powers, indeed, has the picture been drawn, but 
 I trust that the resemblance to the original has been sufficiently 
 
92 THE CHARACTER OF R9SH. 
 
 Striking to awaken in your bosoms, that cordial esteem which 
 is due to the great and the good. 
 
 There is one important feature in the character of Dr. Rush, 
 that should never be forgotten. To him, every place was a 
 school, every one with whom he conversed, was in some way 
 or other, a source of instruction. Never was he without a 
 book, at home or abroad : for when the printed or the written 
 volume was not at hand, he gazed on the wide-spread book of 
 nature, with delight and profit, looking through nature up to 
 nature's God. 
 
 1 would stimulate the youngest of my audience to industry 
 and perseverance, by a simple reference to the facts, that ere 
 he attained his fifteenth year, the indefatigable Rush was a 
 graduate of Princeton College in New Jersey; that the follow- 
 ing six years of his career were devoted to the study of medi- 
 cine in this country, during which period, he translated the 
 Aphorisms of Hippocrates, and began to keep a note book 
 of remarkable occurrences, which he continued to the end of 
 his life ; and that from this record has been obtained the only 
 authentic account of the yellow fever that first appeared in 
 Philadelphia, in 1762, at which time he was scarcely seventeen 
 years of age ; that after all these eiforts, he spent two years in 
 Edinburg in most laborious study, and took his medical degree 
 in that city, in 176S. 
 
 Such was the foundation on which the fair and splendid su- 
 perstructure, of which I have exhibited a very imperfect out- 
 line, rose to its lofty height. I love to ponder on the character 
 of such a man, to cherish every reminiscence of his worth, and 
 to hold up the beau ideal of moral, intellectual and professional 
 greatness, for the imitation of all posterity. 
 
 " Long, long may the heart with such mem'ries be fill'd, 
 Like the vase from which roses have oft been distill 'd ; 
 You may break into pieces the vase, if you will, 
 But the scent of the roses will cling to it still." 
 
 Would you lay a foundation in early life, for fortune and sub- 
 stantial greatness, take for your pattern the prince of American 
 physicians. Follow his example, as students enlisted for life, 
 
THK CHARACTER OF RUSH. ft 
 
 in the cause of medical science. Would you be respected and 
 loved by a nation, and have your name to go down to pos- 
 terity, with the blessings of thousands resting upon you, 
 imitate the virtues, the purity of character, that have crowned 
 him with ever during honors. 
 
 Gentlemen, I have discharged my duty. I have placed 
 before you, one of the most perfect characters, ever known in 
 our profession. I have fondly hoped, that the charms of moral 
 and professional excellence would win your love, and stimu 
 late you to tread in his footsteps. Nor will I entertain a 
 doubt that you will fail to estimate the obligations that press 
 upon you, to keep steadily in view, the high, the glorious 
 standard that has this night been erected before you. 
 
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