"Dr." Joshua Ward – Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London, England

This marble statue by the Italian-born sculptor Agustino Carlini (1718-1790) depicts his friend the celebrated quack doctor Joshua Ward (1686-1761). The statue may have been originally intended as a monument in Westminster Abbey which, in the event, was never erected. Ward was born in Yorkshire, but moved to London where he invented a medicine called "Joshua Ward’s drop" which was supposed to cure people of any illness they had. In his massive advertising campaign, he claimed that his products would cure everything from gout to scurvy, syphilis and cancer. Made with poisonous ingredients, the fake medicine produced violent sweating and other symptoms as the body tried to rid itself of the toxic substances. In humoral medicine this was considered to be a good thing. His private practice amongst the aristocracy was popular. Although he was an unqualified doctor, his patients included King George II and the writer Horace Walpole. He became extremely wealthy. Yet, despite his quackery, Ward was a renowned philanthropist who opened two hospitals for the poor and who threw money out of his coach as it passed through poor areas. His hand gesture may indicate generosity while his prodigious bulk suggests prosperity.