MEDICINE IN AMERICA 409 



born mostly, but with traditions of education and <2;ood breed- 

 ing. They took up Hfe's work with a zest and a dogged reso- 

 hition to succeed that brought the best of them to a position 

 of importance in the community such as the medical men of no 

 other countr}^ have yet attained. The profession became 

 popular, and scarce a family in the land of importance but 

 counted one or more of its members among its number. Social 

 prejudice, as known in England, was abolished along with titles 

 and primogeniture. The doctor was often the most important 

 man in the community. Life was simple, the largest city 

 small, and the man of science was often distinguished in liter- 

 ature and politics. Indeed, it was rare that the doctor was not 

 also engaged in some other occupation. They thus were most 

 intimately concerned in all the interests of the people and 

 though their technical attainments were slight, they knew life, 

 the people, and by virtue of their keen wit and common sense, 

 developed a successful practice which was really remarkable. 

 The establishment of medical schools and hospitals coin- 

 cident with the Revolution, and especially the Philadelphia 

 institution, brought some men of genius to the front. Among 

 these no man succeeded in leaving such an impression upon 

 the teaching and practice of the whole country as Benjamin 

 Rush. He has been dubbed the American Sydenham, the 

 Hippocrates of Pennsylvania, and the American Fothergill, 

 by various writers. Nor was that all, as he was almost equally 

 distinguished in fields other than medicine. Like all men of 

 genius he made warm friends and bitter enemies. A patriot, 

 yet at one time at odds with Washington, a physician of fine 

 attainments, yet hated by many of his colleagues; a faithful 

 student of science, yet tied to a system; a philanthropist, yet 

 good men accused him of ruining the community; a great 

 teacher, yet shamed by the acts of his disciples. Truly a man 

 of many parts, and an actor of no mean ability upon the limited 

 stage of that time. He was a student of Dr. John Redman of 

 Philadelphia, a disciple of Boerhaave and Sydenham. After 

 six years of close application, during which he missed only two 

 days from work, he went to Europe in 1766. There he })ecame 

 one of the favorite pupils of the famous Cullen of Edinburgh. 

 Returning home in 1769 he filled the chair of chemistry and 



