Dr. Benjamin Rush

The Founding Father Who Healed a Wounded Nation

By: Harlow Giles Unger

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

A gripping, often startling biography of the Founding Father of an America that other Founding Fathers forgot - an America of women, African Americans, Jews, Roman Catholics, Quakers, indentured workers, the poor, the mentally ill, and war veterans

Ninety percent of Americans could not vote and did not enjoy rights to life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness when our Founding Fathers proclaimed, "all men are created equal." Alone among those who signed the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush heard the cries of those other, deprived Americans and stepped forth as the nation's first great humanitarian and social reformer.

Remembered primarily as America's leading, most influential physician, Rush led the Founding Fathers in calling for abolition of slavery, equal rights for women, improved medical care for injured troops, free health care for the poor, slum clearance, citywide sanitation, an end to child labor, free universal public education, humane treatment and therapy for the mentally ill, prison reform, and an end to capital punishment.

Using archival material from Edinburgh, London, Paris, and Philadelphia, as well as significant new materials from Rush's descendants and historical societies, Harlow Giles Unger's new biography restores Benjamin Rush to his rightful place in American history as the Founding Father of modern American medical care and psychiatry.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Harlow Giles Unger (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Lively and informative

While I have encountered mentions of Dr. Rush in many other books but knew very little about him. Clearly he was a remarkable person. This is a lively and entertaining biography. I’d like to add that narration is exceptionally good at capturing the tone of the book, and the character of the man, a reading as lively as the prose.

An informative listen

I enjoyed listening to this book. Benjamin Rush was an amazing person. I learned quite a bit about history from perspective that I have not heard before.

Surprisingly amazing!

This was superbly told and masterfully narrated! I learned so much about this relatively lesser known founding father.

Unsung founding father

Great story about a man who contributed so much to our country, yet not really celebrated well.

Great Story of History

A detailed look into the life of an historical figure in our country’s history and founding. Very interesting book.

The More you know the more you can push back

Another founding father Every time you read another peace of American history it just fills in the puzzle.

So many come up with reasons to just dis like the United States of America. Arm yourself with knowledge to push back on there ill informed positions.

Oh by the way loved the book fast moving Great to read about this often Not talked about founding father. Doctor Benjamin Rush.

A Great Humanitarian

Benjamin Rush was one of the 56 signors of the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Rush was one of the few highly trained physicians of this era. One thing that jumped out at me was that he fought for universal health care through-out this career, and we are still fighting for it all these years later.

The book is well written and researched. H. G. Unger benefitted from the many letters between Rush and his friend, John Adams. Adams was not only a prolific letter writer but he also kept his correspondence. Unger also had access to the prodigious published writings of Rush but also his voluminous correspondence. Unger details Rush’s early life, education, medical and political career. Dr. Rush was an advocate for public health, public sewers(sanitation) and for treating mental illness as a disease. During the Revolutionary War he served as medical officer for the Pennsylvania army. Rush also became involved in politics while fighting for proper care and supplies, etc., for the medical corp. I found the book easy to read and packed with information about medicine and public health in the early years of our country. I highly recommend this book to any history buff.

The book is nine hours and four minutes. Robert Petkoff does a good job narrating the book. Petkoff is a stage actor and audiobook narrator. He has received the Audie Award and many Earphone Awards for his narrations.

Good history

To me previously unknown, but a large piece of American history. The had tremendous influence on the inner workings of our country. There is relevant information and good learning for us still today.

A well read great book

I am a history fan. I was a history teacher. Until a few year’s ago I had never heard of Dr Benjamin Rush. If not the greatest, certainly one of the greatest American statesman ever. Another interesting part of the story is why you never heard of him.

Another Amazing Life of US Founder

Here’s another thoroughly researched look back at an amazing American. How can it be that such a fledgling British colony could produce so many extraordinary men for the Time?

I knew of several of Benjamin Rush‘s accomplishments as a physician, but I had no idea of the extent of his influence Over the medical community auto in this country buddy in Europe. At a time where no electricity, reliable, transportation, and squalor abounded.

Rush seemingly work 24 hours a day seven days a week. If he slept more than six hours a night, I would be even more amazed at the pace in which he lived his life. The speed and intensity, in which he was able to see so many patients (especially during the Yellow Fever Outbreak) as well as later handwrite his notes is a tremendous feat fee could match. Much of this attention to detail helped his research as well as helping him write numerous medical texts and starting work in fields such as geriatrics and psychiatry.

Again, this is quite a story, and the author did a wonderful job of assembling all sorts of family history to pull the story together. The drawbacks, although minor, do detract from the story at times. Since the author is a doctor himself, and comes from a long line of doctors, there is definitely a doctor-bias through the first part of the book (that eventually seems to be corrected). Eventually the author is able to acknowledge Rush’s limitations and failures as a physician. Granted, there are not many, and as the author points out several serious ones. However, much of this “erroneous work” could be excused for the Time, as technology and scientific discovery of certain things were not to occur for decades into the future. In certain parts of the book, the author goes into “Superfan mode,” and eventually is able to find his way back out to give them more measured view.

Another drawback of the book is these social causes in which Dr. Rush championed. None of those causes could have been promoted much better by a more able and respected person. However the author tries to tie too many things to current day Events. I just think that’s a big stretch for a man who lived 200 years ago. It’s all the more ironic that the author discusses John Adams frustrations with the rewriting of history at that very time, which was only 10 to 20 years in the past. And yet this author 200 years later is trying to influence the past utilizing today’s historical lens. I think that type of analysis is important and a worthy discussion, but the editor should have remove that from this book, or allowed the author space to write more of his personal commentary and opinions in an addendum for authors notes.

Those small drawbacks should not keep somebody from discovering the wonderful life of Dr. Rush. Our country is very fortunate to of had him as a founding father and citizen of not just Philadelphia but of America. My sideline opinion that I just criticize the author for would be that in nearly every single case, a very strong and devoted spouse like ‘Julia rush is found behind the scenes and while I’m grateful for Dr. Russia’s service in order to do and accomplish all he did his wife and children had to do without. And that’s always a shame that they had to be the ones to sacrifice. and yet in this example, all of his kids turned out well and were high, achieving save for his son, who while achieving much, had a mental breakdown. Phone is unlikely that I have any father home full-time would’ve prevented this. In other cases children may have turned out much different with attention, love, and support which cannot be received from an absent father.