The Selected Writings of Benjamin Rush
Dagobert D. Runes (Ed.). New York Philosophical Library. 1947. $5.
Benjamin Rush was considered by many the greatest physician of his country (America) and time (late 18th century); he was also a great patriot and champion of freedom and common sense in man’s affairs. He was a pioneer in the use of occupational therapy; he saw the psychosomatic aspects of many diseases, was something of a psychiatrist?even in his day?and was amongst the very first to encourage analytical conversation in his patients. These facts alone should interest the readers of this magazine in his writings.
But the book is over 400 pages, and much, that it contains is passe or actually wrong: thus for all his insistence on research and experimental method, for all his novel (and often advanced) ideas, and open mind, he still implicitly and explicitly assumed bleeding to be a standard treatment.
Nevertheless, many selections are well worth reading for pleasure alone (the quaint style of this period always charms, and its humour amuses) ; and some of his pieces are informative. ” Medicine Among the Indians of North America “, for instance, is a careful and observant sociological and anthropological study? so also, to a lesser degree, is his diary of a visit to France, ” On Manners “.
His advice in all things recommends the golden rule; in drink, dress and manner he would even err on the side of conservatism. He was not reluctant to advise on slavery, newspaper publishing, education, government, religion, morals, ethics, capital punishment, and agriculture. Nearly always he spoke with wisdom and care. What he said about the physician’s bedside manner, and what is now called ” the total situation ” (p. 313), may well be read with profit. He anticipated by decades the ” equilibrium ” hypothesis (pp. 133, 136 and 167-8), gave a description of the hypochondriac and obsessional (p. 188), and offered a classification of ” manias ” and “phobias” (pp. 212-26). The human mind was his special interest, he studied and admired its complexity; and always he gave it first place. He well deserves a place amongst the fathers of practical psychotherapy. J.F.S.
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