Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Expires while the Doctors are Disputing. The quarrel of the physicians about the better medicine – during which the patient passes away. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Pl. V. / Designed by W. Hogarth. / Engraved by T. Cook / London Published by G. G. & J. Robinson Paternoster Row August 1^st. 1799. and series title. 36.2 x 41.7 cm.

A Harlot’s Progress V. – Contrary to all later Hogarth editions in his original folio format. – Marvellous impression of finest chiaroscuro.

The group of the two quack doctors  with the passed away as eloquent example of their high capacities

“ is of inexhaustible value. Would it be possible … to represent a congress of diseases or what comes out the same, of quacks, more eloquent than here … ? ”

Lichtenberg asks in regard of the two, of which one, Dr. Misaubin, plays again an important rôle as Dr. de la Pillule in the later Marriage suite, while his corpulent  German  colleague – “Dr. Richard Rock … had invented pills against venereal disease which he boosted in the London papers then” (Catalogue Zurich, 1983) – will pass away by a frill different from the one he also propagated as fighting rickets in days to come. Because fled from  Hamburg “to escape a prosecution for his  tooth-powder  from human skulls” the halter reached him in London after he practiced there for some time “on life and death”. For today it is only Mary who eluded herself from his arts and by doing so gave “concurrently both doctors an idea which might have saved her if one had it earlier, and that are the medicines both hold in their hands. Of course everyone counts the drug of the other among those which never can be given too late. Both pots, glass and tin, with the new medicaments are still unopened, and hence the sick dies. But where are the old medicines, with their consequences?” One sees them scattered on the mantelpiece and elsewhere, and they were not worse than the new ones remaining unopened.

The original paintings of this set of six stations in the life of a prostitute from about 1730 were destroyed by fire already about 1755 by the way.
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Complete copies of the set and further single plates available .

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