Metallic-Tractors Possibly 1801

"Metallic Tractors," a satirical hand-colored etching by James Gillray, mocks the use of metallic tractors, a popular medical treatment in the late 18th century. The image depicts a patient undergoing a treatment, with a doctor holding a pair of metal rods, while the patient grimaces in pain. Gillray's biting humor and exaggerated figures reveal his criticism of the practice, which he believed to be ineffective and based on quackery. This work, now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, serves as a valuable historical document of 18th-century medical practices and social satire.