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Publication of Alexander Pope's Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot

When
1734–1735
Where
Unspecified correspondence location; Unspecified location of death
Episodes
2

Alexander Pope's satirical poem addressed to physician John Arbuthnot was first published on 2 January 1735. Composed in 1734 after Arbuthnot revealed a terminal illness, the work appeared as a 24-page folio shortly before Arbuthnot's death in February 1735.

Episodes

  1. 17 July 1734 · Unspecified correspondence locationRevelation of Terminal Illness

    John Arbuthnot informed Alexander Pope of his terminal illness in a letter dated 17 July 1734, prompting the poem's composition.

  2. 27 February 1735 · Unspecified location of deathDeath of John Arbuthnot

    John Arbuthnot died on 27 February 1735, eight weeks after the poem's publication.

Background and detail

Composition Context. Alexander Pope wrote the satirical poem in 1734, addressing his friend John Arbuthnot, a physician. The composition was prompted by Arbuthnot's letter on 17 July 1734, informing Pope of his terminal illness. This personal crisis motivated the creation of the work before its eventual release.

People involved

Sources

  1. Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.