Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 2.djvu/386

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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