Rod of Asclepius

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The rod of Asclepius (also known as the rod of Asklepios, rod of Aesculapius or asklepian^[1]) is an ancient Greek symbol associated with astrology^[2] and with healing the sick through medicine. It consists of a serpent entwined around a staff. Asclepius, the son of Apollo, was a practitioner of medicine in ancient Greek mythology. The Rod of Asclepius also represents the constellation Ophiuchus, also known as Ophiuchus Serpentarius, the thirteenth sign of the sidereal zodiac.

Contents 1 Symbolism 2 Origin 2.1 Greek mythology 2.2 "Worm" theory 2.3 Biblical 3 Professional usage 4 Confusion with the Caduceus 5 Standard representation 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Symbolism

The rod of Asclepius symbolizes the healing arts by combining the serpent, which in shedding its skin is a symbol of rebirth and fertility, with the staff, a symbol of authority befitting the god of Medicine. The snake wrapped around the staff is widely claimed to be a species of rat snake, Elaphe longissima, also known as the Aesculapian or Asclepian snake. It is native to southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, and some central European spa regions, apparently brought there by Romans for their healing properties.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Origin

There are several different theories as to the origin and development of the rod of Asclepius, any or all of which may have contributed to its development. The symbol is named for an ancient Greek legend, although the legend could be older.

[edit] Greek mythology

According to Greek mythology, Asclepius was said to have learned the art of healing from the centaur Chiron. He is customarily represented as a surgeon on the ship Argo. Asclepius was so skilled in the medical arts that he was reputed to have brought patients back from the dead. For this, he was punished and placed in the heavens as the constellation Ophiuchus (meaning "serpent-bearer"). This constellation lies between Sagittarius and Libra.^[3] In early Christianity, the constellation Ophiuchus was associated with Saint Paul holding the Maltese Viper. According to some, Asclepius fought alongside the Achaeans in the Trojan War, and cured Philoctetes of his famous snake bite.

[edit] "Worm" theory

Some scholars have suggested that the symbol once represented a worm wrapped around a rod; parasitic worms such as the "guinea worm" (Dracunculus medinensis) were common in ancient times, and were extracted from beneath the skin by winding them slowly around a stick. Physicians may have advertised this common service by posting a sign depicting a worm on a rod. The worm was mistaken for a snake in the Middle Ages and has since been known as a snake entwined round a staff and not a worm.^[4]

[edit] Biblical

A similar symbol, Nehushtan, is mentioned in the Bible. In Numbers 21:4-9 the Bible tells of the Israelites complaining to Moses and to God about their desperate situation.^[5]

"Why have you brought us...to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water...." Numbers 21:5 (NKJV) ^[6]

This angered God, and He sent fiery serpents that attacked the Israelites, and many died. The Israelites came to Moses with an appeal to God, repenting for their sin and asking forgiveness. God then spoke to Moses, telling him to make a bronze serpent set on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by one of the fiery serpents was to look at the bronze serpent and he or she immediately was healed. It is possible that this incident and the Nehushtan influenced the symbol of the Rod of Asclepius, and possibly explains why it is used today as a symbol of medicine and the medical field.

[edit] Professional usage

A number of organisations and services use the rod of Asclepius as their logo, or part of their logo. These include the:

• American Medical Association
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Australian Medical Association
• British Royal Army Medical Corps
• Canadian Medical Association
• Star of Life, symbol of emergency medical services
• World Health Organization
• Australian Veterinary Association
• Malaysian Medical Council
• MedicAlert

[edit] Confusion with the Caduceus

Main article: Caduceus

The caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol for medicine or doctors (instead of the rod of Asclepius) even though the symbol has no connection with Hippocrates and any association with healing arts is something of a stretch;^[7] as the symbol of the god Hermes, its singularly inappropriate connotations of theft, deception, and death, as well as the confusion of commerce and medicine in a single symbol, have provided fodder for academic humor.^[8]

As god of the high-road and the market-place Hermes was perhaps above all else the patron of commerce and the fat purse: as a corollary, he was the special protector of the traveling salesman. As spokesman for the gods, he not only brought peace on earth (occasionally even the peace of death), but his silver-tongued eloquence could always make the worse appear the better cause. From this latter point of view, would not his symbol be suitable for certain Congressmen, all medical quacks, book agents and purveyors of vacuum cleaners, rather than for the straight-thinking, straight-speaking therapist? As conductor of the dead to their subterranean abode, his emblem would seem more appropriate on a hearse than on a physician's car.^[9]

Attempts have been made, however, to argue that the caduceus is appropriate as a symbol of medicine or of medical practitioners. Apologists^[10] have suggested that the sign is appropriate for military medical personnel because of the connotations of neutrality. Others have gathered and presented attested associations between Hermes (or Mercury) and acts or circumstances suggestive of the role of a healer.^[11]

Widespread confusion regarding the supposed medical significance of the caduceus appears to have arisen as a result of events in the United States in the 19th century.^[1] It had appeared on the chevrons of Army hospital stewards as early as 1856.^[12] In 1902 it was added to the uniforms of Army medical officers. The inconsistency was noticed several years later by the librarian to the Surgeon General, but the symbol was not changed.^[1] In 1901 the French periodical of military medicine was named La Caducée. The caduceus was formally adopted by the Medical Department of the United States Army in 1902.^[1] After World War I the caduceus was employed as an emblem by both the Army Medical Department and the Navy Hospital Corps. The American Medical Association even used the symbol for a time but it was abandoned in 1912 after considerable discussion, and the rod of Asclepius was adopted instead.

Further confusion was caused by the use of the caduceus as a printer's mark (as Hermes was the god of eloquence and messengers); it appeared in many medical textbooks as a printing mark and was subsequently mistaken for a medical symbol.^[1]

A 1992 survey of American health organisations found that 62% of professional associations used the rod of Asclepius, whereas in commercial organisations, 76% used the caduceus.^[13]

[edit] Standard representation

The rod of Asclepius has a representation on the Miscellaneous Symbols table of the Unicode Standard at U+2695 (⚕).

[edit] See also

• Aaron's rod

[edit] References

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