The patient, sitting in the centre, wears a white bonnet, a red cape lined with white fur, and a yellow satin dress. In her left hand she holds a letter, while her right she holds out to the physician who takes her pulse. On the right is a table covered with a Turkish rug. On it is the bowl of gruel which the old maid prepares, together with a pewter ewer and a dish. In the background is a bed with a canopy and curtains, and on the wall a landscape painting in a black frame. The physician's costume in pictures such as this has been regarded as archaic. In the hands of humorous painters like Jan Steen, such an archaism would no doubt have been satirical, but here it seems to be more respectful. The physician's practice – diagnosis from the speed, rhythm, and strength of the pulse – is derived from venerable ancient sources, and the physician is portrayed as someone who would have mastered the subtleties of the ancient writings.