The reward of cruelty [graphic]Hogarth, William, 1697-1764, printmakerpublished according to act of Parliament, Feb. 1, 1751 [that is, between 1790 and 1835]engTom Nero's body is laid out on a round table in a dissecting theatre. In niches on either side are two skeletons labeled "James Field" and "Macleane" after two recently hanged criminals. Three doctors work on dissecting Tom's body as a dogs feeds on his entrails. The room is filled with doctors reading and discussing, the whole presided over by the chief surgeon in a large chair emblazoned with the arms of the Royal College of PhysiciansTitle engraved above image.State from Paulson.Fourth state, with price mostly burnished from plate. This state of the plate was first issued in The original works of William Hogarth (London : Sold by John and Josiah Boydell, 1790). It was reissued, with some lines strengthened by the engraver James Heath, in The works of William Hogarth (London : Printed for Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy ..., 1822); another edition was published by Baldwin & Cradock in 1835. See Paulson.Final plate in a series of four: The four stages of cruelty.Temporary local Medical Library subject terms: Prevention of cruelty to animals -- Anatomical theatres -- Company of Surgeons -- Surgeon's Hall -- Freke, John (1688-1756).