RUSH
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RUSH
famous English works on medicine,
including those of Sydenham. Among
his writings, besides those which have
been already mentioned, there are
several worthy of special note. He
wrote of the disease we now term
thermic fever, describing it with great
accuracy in "An Account of the Disease
occasioned by Drinking Cold Water in
Warm Weather." There are also a
luimber of other treatises by him on
climatic affections, all possessing distinct
value. Probably his best known book
is his "Medical Inquiries and Observa-
tions on the Diseases of the Mind."
Pepper stated that " His more elaborate
address and orations are admirable, and
some of them, as those on Cullen and on
Rittenhouse, and his address on 'The
Influence of Physical Causes on the
Moral Faculties' are splendid perform-
ances."
In Ramsay's sketch is included the accompanying letter, written by Mrs. Rush to Dr. Mease, shortly after her husband's death, describing his last illness.
"At nine o'clock in the evening of Wednesday, the fourteenth of April, 1813, Dr. Rush, after having been as well as usual through the day, com- plained of chilliness and general indispo- sition, and said he would go to bed. ^\^lile his room was preparing and a fire making, he became so cold that he called for some brandy and drank it; he then went to his room, bathed his feet in warm water, got into a warm bed, and took some hot drink; a fever soon came on, attended with great pain in his limbs and in his side; he passed a restless night, but after day-light a perspiration came on, and all the pains were reheved except that in his side, which became more acute. He sent for a bleeder, and had ten ounces of blood taken from his arm, with evident relief. At ten o'clock Dr. Dorsey called and saw him, heard what had been done, and approved of the treat- ment; observed that his pulse was calm, but rather weak, and advised him to drink plentifully of wine whey, which
was immediately given to him. He
remained the rest of the day and on
Friday with but little apparent disease,
though never quite free from fever, and
always complaining when he tried to take
a long breath. On the morning of Satur-
day he awoke with an acute pain in his
side, and desired that the bleeder might
be sent for; to this I objected on account
of the weak state of his pulse. I pro-
posed sending for Dr. Dorsey, but Dr.
Rush would not consent to his being
disturbed; he reminded me of his having
had a cough all the winter, and said ' this
disease is taking hold of my lungs, and I
shall go off in a consumption.' At eight
o'clock Dr. Dorsey saw him and, upon
feeling his pulse, objected to his losing
any more blood, and called in Dr. Phy-
sick, who agreed in the opinion that
bleeding was improper. The pain in his
side, however, continuing, and his breath-
ing becoming more difhcult. Dr. Physick
consented to his losing three ounces of
blood from his side by cupping; this
operation relieved him so that he fell into
a refreshing sleep, and towards the even-
ing of Saturday his fever went off, and he
passed a comfortable night, and on
Sunday morning seemed free from dis-
ease. When Dr. Physick saw liim, he
told me that Dr. Rush was doing well,
that nothing now appeared necessary
but to give him as much nourishment as
he could take ; he drank porter and water
and conversed wdth strength and spright-
Hness, believing that he was getting well,
until about four o'clock in the afternoon
when his fever returned, but in a moder-
ate degree. At five o'clock Dr. Physick
and Dr. Dorsey visited him, and found
him not so well as in the morning, but did
not appear to apprehend what so soon
followed, for at that time nothing was
ordered different from the morning. At
nine o'clock they again visited him, when
they found him so low as to apprehend a
fatal termination of his disease. Stimu-
lants of the strongest kind were then
administered; you, my friend, know with
howhttle effect!"
A detailed list of his writings can be seen
