The big difference however, is that Dr. Rush was using the best knowledge that he had at the time and was truly intending to work in his patients' best interest.
However, Barry himself needs to some of Dr. Rush's medicine because he's so "full of it".
"Chief among the medicines were Dr. Rush's patented pills (also known as 'Thunderclappers'). The pills were concocted by him as a means of purging the system. The pills were composed of calomel (a mixture of six parts mercury to one part chlorine), and jalap (jalapeno is a form of jalap). Each portion of the concoction was a purgative of explosive power...the combination was awesome." Dr. Rush suggested that if one pill didn't do the trick, you could take two or three."
It is a shame that Benjamin Rush isn’t more widely known. He was one of our Founding Fathers, and a brilliant man - in the company of so many brilliant men in Philadelphia.
I wonder if anthropologists have ever studied the biological reasons why so many brilliant men were born in America in the Eighteenth Century, and raised with a passion for Freedom.
It is said that demographics is destiny, and our Eighteenth Century had the most special demography in the world!