Sir William Fordyce (1724-1792) was one of the most successful doctors in London in his day. His well-known treatise A Review of the Venereal Disease and its Remedies went through four editions between 1767 and 1785, and was translated into French and German.

In this etching, he is depicted as a quack who succumbs to venereal disease despite the confidence in a preventative he expresses in the caption. All the necessary ingredients for making the prophylactic are lying on the table beside his bed but have been found wanting.