Yellow Fever Walking Tour Project

Eleni Murphy

Yellow Fever Walking Tour Project

Benjamin Rush House

Dr. Benjamin Rush was a leading figure during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. He turned his house into a makeshift hospital when the Pennsylvania Hospital began to reject Yellow Fever patients. While practicing in his hospital, he began developing his heroic treatment. This intense treatment included bloodletting and the purging of the body. To some, it was considered dangerous, and many physicians called him a murderer. Despite this, Rush stuck to his principles and practice. His hospital was the reason for many Yellow Fever survivors. He is now remembered as a “glorified hero” for staying in Philadelphia throughout the fever. The Benjamin Rush House is a historic location that held the sick patients of Dr. Rush during the Yellow Fever epidemic. 

Dr. Rush already had a leading role in society before the epidemic struck Philadelphia. He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1776-1777, an American political leader, and a physician. He was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence. As an active follower of the First Principle of Equality, he was a well-known slavery abolitionist. He published many writings, one being The Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on Chemistry, the first American course on the topic. Dr. Rush’s experience as a physician and political leader led him to become an important figure during the Yellow Fever epidemic. 

Benjamin Rush’s house was a typical Philadelphia home until it was transformed into a hospital during the epidemic. His three-story house was built in the center of Philadelphia and was an ordinary 18th century home. But when the epidemic began to wipe out the city, the house became extraordinary. The Pennsylvania Hospital started to reject Yellow Fever patients. Death rates were increasing, and Yellow Fever victims didn’t have the proper care. Dr. Rush decided to turn his house into a makeshift hospital for the ill. In his hospital, he practiced the heroic treatment. Patients were able to be treated by a qualified physician when the main hospital turned them away. The Benjamin Rush House went from being a family home to a temporary hospital during the Yellow Fever epidemic. 

Upon working on his at-home hospital, Dr. Rush was creating his own cure for the fever called the heroic treatment. He finished developing it by October. It was an intense treatment that included high amounts of bloodletting and purging. To purge the bowels, Dr. Rush fed his patients mercury and jalap. Even though Dr. Rush was a trusted physician, his techniques created great controversy. His treatment was considered overly aggressive and dangerous. Some said he removed to much blood from the body to the point that he was charged for murder. “…his purges were meant for a horse, not a man, and that he had waded through the epidemic in a bath of his patients’ blood.”(Binger, page 227). Despite this, Dr. Rush continued to treat patients with his heroic treatment. He believed that these techniques decreased morality. Although many considered the heroic treatment to be dangerous, Dr. Benjamin Rush stuck to his original plan and continued to treat patients the heroic way. 

Many Yellow Fever victims were saved by Rush’s heroic treatment in his hospital. Because of his hospital, around 57% of his patients survived the fever. Although many of his patients died, the heroic treatment ended up saving an impressive amount of Philadelphians from death. Ever since the white flag was hoisted over Bush Hill signaling the end of the epidemic, he has been remembered as a hero, not a murderer. For many, Dr. Rush’s heroic treatment in his makeshift hospital was the difference between life or death.

The Benjamin Rush house had an important role during the Philadelphia Yellow Fever epidemic. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a leading physician, turned his home into a makeshift hospital for the ill. Yellow Fever patients received his aggressive heroic treatment, including bloodletting and purging. It created great controversy, and some described it as inhumane. Nevertheless, Rush continued. “I have resolved to stick to my principles, my practice, and my patients to the last extremity.”(Benjamin Rush). He worked endlessly to improve his treatment. The heroic treatment and his hospital saved some of the patients from death. Some say he is a “glorified hero” for sticking with his patients throughout the fever when the other physicians fled. His hospital, although it looks like an ordinary home, played an extraordinary role in history. The Benjamin Rush House was the reason for survival for many Philadelphians during the Philadelphia Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793.