Critics’ use of satire against the auditing profession: a short historical note

At a time when the auditing profession faces mounting criticism in the wake of corporate and professional scandals, it is not unusual to read caustic commentary in the press. This is not a new phenomenon. The nineteenth century auditing profession had to face similar criticism from the media, but practitioners then had to deal with a weapon more effective than mere prose, satire. This short historical note captures some of the more amusing yet hard‐hitting attacks on the profession. We can only hope that this form of critical writing makes a come‐back.