Benjamin Rush Field

Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1861, Benjamin Rush Field was a doctor by profession and a public figure in local life. Contemporary and biographical sources describe him as a physician who also served Easton as mayor, showing how closely his civic work and professional standing were tied to his hometown.

As a writer, he is best known for Medical Thoughts of Shakespeare, a study that explores medical ideas, illnesses, physicians, and healing references across Shakespeare’s works. The book reflects a rare mix of close literary reading and practical medical knowledge, making it interesting both to Shakespeare readers and to anyone curious about the history of medicine.

Field died in 1935, but his writing has remained accessible through later reprints and digital editions. Even now, his reputation rests on that distinctive ability to connect medicine with literature in a way that feels both scholarly and approachable.