| Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was a physician and one of the most prolific medical professors of his time. A member of the Sons of Liberty and the Continental Congress, Dr. Rush signed the Declaration of Independence. He was appointed surgeon general of the middle department in April 1777 and in July became physician general of the Continental Army. He was a member of the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. From 1799 until his death, he was the treasurer of the U.S. Mint.
A founder of Dickinson College, Dr. Rush was interested in establishing public schooling and the founding of the College of Physicians. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin as president of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery and was president of the Philadelphia Medical Society.
He is credited with curing the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, visiting 100-120 patients a day. Several foreign leaders, including the king of Prussia, the Queen of Eturia and the emperor of Russia, honored him for his replies to their queries about yellow fever.
Dr. Rush served as a professor of medical theory and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania. As professor of medicine, he taught students how to distinguish disease better than most others of his time. He lectured more than 2,250 students, making Philadelphia a center of science.
Dr. Rush continued teaching and practicing medicine until he died in 1813. According to www.ushistory.org, "He was a popular figure at the height of his influence in medicine and in social circles. He was also a social activist, a prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery, an advocate for scientific education for the masses, including women, and for public medical clinics to treat the poor."
Because of his devotion to public health, the Benjamin Rush Individual Public Health Award and the Benjamin Rush Community Organization Health Service Award were established in 1947. They are given each year to a community organization on behalf of the 3,000 physician members of the Allegheny County Medical Society in appreciation of the outstanding contributions it has made to public health.
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