A man taking a woman's pulse. Oil painting by Egbert van Heemskerck.

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<p>A young woman with a bonnet and a cloak is seated in the foreground. Left, a dishevelled man takes the pulse of her right wrist with his right hand, and places his left hand on his chest. Both have strong expressions, she casting her eyes upwards in dread and he looking askance, with suspicion: perhaps the implication is that she fears he will detect that she is pregnant. Behind, an older woman, presumably the mother of the younger one, holds a flask, presumably containing urine for examination by the medical practitioner</p>

A man taking a woman's pulse. Oil painting by Egbert van Heemskerck.

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