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Medicine and the medical profession have been represented throughout history
by various combinations of a snake or snakes and the caduceus, each of which
has significant meanings.
The word caduceus is derived from a Greek root meaning herald's wand or
badge of office. Originally, the caduceus was an olive branch, but it
was later replaced by a staff entwined with snakes.
The caduceus is strongly associated with Hermes, the Greek messenger of
the gods. Although he is not intimately connected with healing, Hermes
is cited as the guardian of health. He received the staff from Apollo
who gave it to him as a token of admiration to carry as a symbol of his
office. According to Apollo, the staff, with its two winged snakes,
was to bring peace and overcome disease.
The medical symbolism connected to the staff and snake has descended most
vividly from Greek mythology in connection with the healer
Aesculapius. Aesculapius' parents were the mortal Coronis and Apollo,
the god who possessed all medical knowledge. Apollo passed along his
healing powers to the centaur Chiron and gave Aesculapius into his care.
One day Aesculapius saw a snake crawl from a crack in the earth and
entwine itself on his staff. Aesculapius killed the snake, but
immediately thereafter another snake emerged from the crack carrying an
herbal leaf in his mouth; it placed the leaf on the head of the dead snake,
which miraculously revived.
The serpent became Aesculapius' constant companion, and Aesculapius
became the patron of the temples of healing that sprang up throughout
Greece.
Association of American Medical
Colleges
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