When most of us think about our Founding Founders, astute politicians probably come to mind. But five of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were physicians:
Benjamin Rush, served as a high-ranking surgeon in the Continental Army;
Matthew Thornton practiced in rural New Hampshire and inoculated himself against small pox.
Josiah Bartlett was a practicing physician who became governor of New Hampshire and pushed to crack down on quackery;
Lyman Hall was originally a dishonored preacher, who became a doctor and moved to Georgia;
Oliver Wolcott was trained as a doctor, but spent most of his life in public office.
Source: Wall Street Journal
And if you're dying to delve beyond the level of Trivial Pursuit, there's even a book on about the men -- Physician signers of the Declaration of Independence
Do you think more physicians should be involved in public office today? Would we move closer to a health care solution?
Fun information
As I head off to watch fireworks, I'll keep this in mind. Thanks for the great information. And yes, while not all doctors are well versed in governmental policy, I think they understand the day-to-day enough to at least advise and make recommendations. I would like to think that if more were involved in public office, greater emphasis might be placed on health care.
The irony is that at a time when we need physicians' knowledge the most, the number of doctors serving in public office has decreased significantly since the country's early years.
Only about 25, or about 1 percent, of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate who have served since 1960 have been doctors.
Want to read more? Check out ...
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/...
Posted: Fri., July 4, 2008, 07:20 pm
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