474 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



tional gratification and evidence 

 of his country's confidence in his 

 talents, his integrity, and his pa- 

 triotism, by being chosen a mem- 

 ber of the State Convention for 

 the adoption of the Federal Con- 

 stitution. 



These great events being ac- 

 complished, Dr. Rush gradually 

 retired from political life, resolv- 

 ed to dedicate the remainder of 

 his days to the piactice of his pro- 

 fession, the performance of his 

 collegiate duties, and the publica- 

 tion of those doctrines and pi in- 

 ciples in medicine which he con- 

 sidered calculated to advance the 

 interests of his favourite science, 

 or to diminish the evils of human 

 life. In a letter which I i eceived 

 from him as early as the year 

 1794, he expresses this determi- 

 nation, adding, " I have lately 

 become a mere spectator of all 

 public events." And in a con- 

 versation on this subject, during 

 the last two yeai's of his life, he 

 cxju'cssed to me the high gratifi- 

 cation which he enjo\ed in his 

 medical .studies and pursuits, anl 

 his regret tiiat he had not at a 

 much caiiier period withdrawn 

 his attention from all other sub- 

 jects, and bestowed it exclusively 

 u]ion his profession. 



Such V. as the attachment of Dr. 

 Eush to his profession, that, 

 speaking of his approaching dis- 

 solution, he lemaiks, " wiien 

 tluit time shall come, I shall i e- 

 linquish many attractions to liie, 

 and among Ihom a pleasure which 

 to nie has no equal in human pur- 

 suits ; I mean that which I de- 

 rive from studying, teaching, and 

 practising medicine." But he 

 loved it as a science ; principles 

 in medicine wej'C the great objects 



of all his inquiries. He has well 

 observed, that medicine without 

 principles is a humble art and a 

 degrading occupation : but, di- 

 rected by principles, — the only 

 sure guide to a safe and success- 

 ful practice, — it imparts the high- 

 est elevation to the intellectual 

 and moral character of man. 



But the high professional cha- 

 riacter and attainments of Dr. 

 Rush did not alone display them- 

 selves in his skill as a physician, 

 or his abilities as a teacher ; he 

 was equally distinguished as a 

 A\riter and an author. 



The present occasion does not 

 allow me to recite even the nu- 

 meroTis subjects of his medicid 

 publications ; much less does it 

 afford an opportunity to review 

 the opinions they contain. I must 

 however, observe generally, that 

 the mmierous facts and princi- 

 ples which the writings of Dr. 

 Rush contain, the doctrines they 

 inculcate relative to the nature 

 and causes of disease, and the im- 

 provements they have introduced 

 into the ]>ractice of medicine, re- 

 commend them to an attentive pe- 

 I'usal and study, while the perspi- 

 cuity and elegance of the style in 

 which they aie written give them 

 an additional claim to attention as 

 among the finest models of com- 

 position. The same remarks arc 

 equally applicable to the episto- 

 lary stylo of Dr. Rush, and that of 

 bis conversation ; in bothof which 

 he eminently excelled. 



jNIr. Fox declared in t!ie British 

 House of Commons that he had 

 learned more fiom JNIr. Burke's 

 conversation than from all the 

 books he liad ever read. It ma} 

 also be observed of the conversa- 

 tion of Dr. Rush, that such were 



the 



