The rod of Asclepius is an ancient Greek symbol associated with medicine, consisting of a snake coiled around a rod. In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Asclepius was the god of medicine and healing.
His daughters are Hygieia (goddess of cleanliness), Iaso (goddess of recovery from illness), Aceso (goddess of the healing process), Aglea (goddess of splendor and adornment), and Panacea (goddess of universal remedy).
In the Iliad
In the Iliad, Homer mentions Asclepius only as a skilled physician and father of two Greek physicians in Troy, Machaon and Podalirius; in later times, however, he was honored as a hero and eventually worshipped as a god. The cult began in Thessaly but spread to many parts of Greece.
Because Asclepius was believed to heal the sick in their dreams, the practice of sleeping in his temples in Epidaurus in southern Greece became common. In 293 BC, his cult spread to Rome.
Asclepius was often depicted standing and dressed in a long robe with his chest bare; his usual attribute was a staff with a snake coiled around it known as the rod of Asclepius.
In the Roman world
In the Roman adaptation of the Greek pantheon, Asclepius was identified with the god Vediovis.
4. The problem of origin
There are two hypotheses about the origin of the rod of Asclepius and how it became associated with medicine. One is the “worm theory,” which dates back to the Ebers Papyrus (~1500 BC), one of the earliest ancient Egyptian medical documents. The Ebers Papyrus describes a treatment for worms.
In Egypt
Parasitic worms, such as the Guinea worm, were common in ancient times:
They crawled around the victim’s body, just under the skin. Doctors treated this infection by cutting a slit in the patient’s skin, directly in front of the worm’s path. As the worm crawled through the cut, the doctor carefully wound the pest around a stick until the entire animal had been removed.
Ancient doctors probably advertised this common service by placing a sign showing a worm on a stick in front of their house.
In the Bible
The other hypothesis dates back to the Bible. In the biblical story of the Exodus, Moses carried a bronze staff with a bronze snake wrapped around it. Anyone bitten by a snake only needed to look at the staff to be cured of the snake’s venom.
5. The caduceus
The symbol of the Rod of Asclepius is often confused with the Caduceus, a symbol of commerce associated with the Greek god Hermes.
The Rod of Asclepius combines the snake with a staff, a simple tool. The snake, with its shed skin, symbolizes rebirth and fertility. On the other hand, the symbol of the caduceus consisted of a bar with two snakes wrapped around it. The English word comes from the Latin caduceus, which echoes the ancient Greek kèrix, translated as herald.
The word was mainly used to indicate the staff assigned to the Greek god Hermes as herald (messenger) of the gods and patron of commerce.
Characteristic
This staff was depicted with two wings at the top and two snakes to symbolize diligence and prudence, two characteristics that are very necessary in commercial activities.
Religion
In Greek religion and mythology, Hermes was a god of transitions and boundaries. He was the protector and patron of travelers, shepherds, inventions, and merchants.
In the Roman adaptation of the Greek pantheon, Hermes was identified with the Roman god Mercury, who developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce.
Symbol
The symbol of the Caduceus directly alluded to the myth of Hermes, who saw two snakes fighting and touched them with his staff so that the two animals would stop fighting. Of course, peace is necessary for trade to flourish.
6. Confusion of the rod of Asclepius with the caduceus
From the early 16th century onwards, the rod of Asclepius and the caduceus of Hermes were widely used as printing marks in general publications, especially as frontispieces for pharmacopoeias in the 17th and 18th centuries. Over time, the rod of Asclepius emerged as an independent symbol of medicine.
Despite the unequivocal assertion that the rod of Asclepius represents medicine (and healing), the caduceus appears to be the most popular symbol of medicine in the United States, probably due to simple confusion between two symbols. The practice was widely adopted by medical publishers in the United States. The caduceus became inadvertently connected in the minds of some physicians with medicine.
The double snake symbol is the current emblem of many prominent medical organizations in the US, and according to a 1993 survey of 242 medical logos, more than 38% of US medical associations and more than 63% of US hospitals use the Caduceus as their symbol.
Examples of use
This seems especially strange in light of the fact that many organizations use both the Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius.
Many military organizations around the world have included the Rod of Asclepius in their symbol to represent their medical corps. The British Army (1889), the French Army (1798), the German Army (1868), and even the US Air Force use this symbol.
Many medical organizations have also incorporated the rod of Asclepius into their symbol:
The American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, the American College of Physicians, and the World Health Organization, to name a few.
7. Modern use
A number of organizations and services use the rod of Asclepius as their logo, or part of their logo. These include:
Asia
- Malaysian Academy of Medicine
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
- Chinese Medical Association
- Indian Institute of Medical Sciences
- Indonesian Society for Health Promoters and Educators
- International Medical University, Malaysia
- Malaysian Medical Council
- Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of China
- Ministry of Health, People’s Republic of China
- Medical Council of India
- Medical Corps of the Pakistan Army
- Sultan Qaboos University Hospital
- South Pacific
- Australian Medical Association
- Australian Medical Students’ Association
- Australian Veterinary Association
- BHP Emergency Services (Western Australia iron ore)
- New Zealand Medical Council
- Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps
- Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
Canada
- British Columbia Ambulance Service
- Canadian Association of Medical Assistants
- Canadian Dental Association
- Canadian Medical Association
- Medical Council of Canada
- Royal Canadian Medical Service
Europe
- Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.
- British Medical Association
- Royal British Army Medical Corps
- British Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Emergency medical services in France (SAMU, SMUR, et al. )
- Emergency medical services in Italy.
- Emergency medical services in Portugal
- Finnish Medical Association
- The London Clinic
- Royal College of Psychiatrists (United Kingdom)
- Spanish National Council of Medical Students’ Associations (CEEM)
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Nigeria
- Nigerian Medical Association
- Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute
- Kenya Medical Training College
- South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council former coat of arms
- South African Military Health Service
Worldwide
- Medical Protection Society
- Star of Life, symbol of emergency medical services.
