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John Ranby FRS, William Hogarth and the Barber Surgeons

British Dental Journal volume 236, pages 200–204 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

The progress of dentistry towards a profession allied to medicine and surgery was incremental, and a most important step in that process was the separation of the surgeons from the barbers in 1745. Hogarth's illustration of a dentally active barber has been discussed previously in the British Dental Journal. In this paper, his probable contribution to the campaign for separation led successfully by his friend, surgeon John Ranby FRS (1703-1773), through the dramatic and much analysed painting The death of the countess (1743), is analysed. In this paper, it is suggested that William Hogarth was not only aware of the tensions between the physicians, surgeons and barbers that had come to a head, but that he modified the first thoughts, seen in a sketch (now at the Ashmolean, Oxford), to incorporate in this painting, and the print made from it a conspicuous sub-scene, almost central in a composition where the dying countess would be expected to be the only subject, as a satirical comment on that internal conflict.

Key points

  • Provides a history of dentistry and professional advance.

  • Focuses on William Hogarth and John Ranby FRS.

  • Delves into medical ethics at the time.

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References

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  8. UK Parliament. An Act for Making the Surgeons of London and the Barbers of London Two Separate and Distinct Corporations. 1745.

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  13. Lamb C. Essay on the Genius and Character of Hogarth. The Reflector II, 1811, no 3, 61-77. Reprinted in Nichols J B (ed) Anecdotes of William Hogarth Written by Himself: with Essays on his Life and Genius, and Criticisms on his Works. p 92. London: JB Nichols and Son, 1833.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit for the History of Dentistry, King´s College London Dental Institute, King´s College London, UK

    Malcolm Bishop

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  1. Malcolm Bishop
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Correspondence to Malcolm Bishop.

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Bishop, M. John Ranby FRS, William Hogarth and the Barber Surgeons. Br Dent J 236, 200–204 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7051-2

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