Front and reverse of four coin-like objects known as 'royal touch pieces' which were given by royal personages to people suffering from the king's evil (scrofula). Etching.

King's evil is also called scrofula: it can be described as a form of tuberculosis which affects the lymph nodes in the neck. The origin of the term lies in the belief that a royal personage was endowed with healing power directed particularly to this form of tuberculosis. This tradition started with Edward the Confessor until the reign of Queen Anne in 1714. The French royal family were apparently also endowed with this gift