Rod of Asclepius

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 and with healing the sick through medicine. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the It consists of a serpent entwined around a staff. Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or For other uses of the word staff see Staff. A staff is a large thick Stick or stick-shaped object used to help with Walking Asclepius, the son of Apollo, was a practitioner of medicine in ancient Greek mythology. Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiːəs/, Greek, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of Medicine Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance

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 skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant Fertility is the natural capability of giving life As a measure "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple person or population In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. 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. Aesculapian Snake ( Elaphe longissima or Zamenis longissimus) is a Snake native to Europe. It is native to southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, and some central European spa regions, apparently brought there by Romans for their healing properties. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

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.

Greek mythology

According to Greek mythology, Asclepius was said to have learned the art of healing from Chiron. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron ("hand" was held as the superlative Centaur among his brethren He is customarily represented as a surgeon on the ship Argo. In Medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs Surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive Medical treatment that involves the cutting of a In Greek mythology, the Argo (Ἀργώ was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the 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"). In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Ophiuchus (Ὀφιοῦχος ˌɒfiːˈuːkəs is one of the 88 Constellations and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. This constellation lies between Sagittarius and Libra. Libra (ˈliːbrə balance, symbol, Unicode ♎ is a Constellation of the Zodiac. ^[2] In early Christianity, the constellation Ophiuchus was associated with Saint Paul holding the Maltese Viper. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and According to some, Asclepius fought alongside the Achaeans in the Trojan War, and cured Philoctetes of his famous snake bite.

"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. A worm is a common name given to a diverse group of invertebrate animals that have a long soft body and no legs Dracunculiasis, more commonly known as Guinea worm disease ( GWD) or Medina Worm, is a parasitic Infection caused by the 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. ^[3]

Biblical

A similar symbol, Nehushtan, is mentioned in the Bible in Numbers 21:4–9. The Nehushtan (or Nehustan, Hebrew: נחושתן or נחש הנחושת) was a sacred object in the form of a Bronze snake Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Book of Numbers, ( Bamidbar, meaning in the wilderness) is the fourth book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament. Attacked by a plague of snakes in the wilderness, Moses holds up a serpent coiled around a staff, both made from bronze, so that the Israelites might recover from the bites. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. ^[4]

Professional usage

The EMS Star of Life features a rod of Asclepius. The Star of Life is a Blue, six-pointed star, outlined with a white border which features the Rod of Asclepius in the center originally designed and governed

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

• American Dental Association
• 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

Confusion with the caduceus

The Caduceus, which has two snakes and a pair of wings. The American Dental Association (ADA is an American Professional association established in 1859 and has more than 152000 members The American Medical Association (AMA founded in 1847 and incorporated 1897 is the largest association of Physicians and Medical students in the United States The American Osteopathic Association (AOA is the representative organization for osteopathic medical physicians (D The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA founded in 1863 is a not-for-profit association representing more than 76000 U The Australian Medical Association (the AMA is a Professional association and Union for Australian The Royal Army Medical Corps ( RAMC) is a specialist Corps in the British Army which provides Medical services to all British Army The Canadian Medical Association (CMA with more than 65000 members is the largest association of doctors in Canada and works to represent their interests nationally The Star of Life is a Blue, six-pointed star, outlined with a white border which features the Rod of Asclepius in the center originally designed and governed Emergency medical services (abbreviated to the initialism "EMS" in many countries are a branch of Emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital The MedicAlert Foundation, a non-profit company founded in 1956 and headquartered in Turlock California, maintains a database of members' medical information that is made The caduceus (/kəˈdjuːsiəs/ -ʃəs -ˈduː- κηρύκειον in Greek) or wand of Hermes is typically depicted as a short herald's staff

The caduceus is often also used as a symbol for medicine or doctors, in place of the rod of Asclepius which is the usual symbol of medical professions. The caduceus (/kəˈdjuːsiəs/ -ʃəs -ˈduː- κηρύκειον in Greek) or wand of Hermes is typically depicted as a short herald's staff A 1992 survey of American health organisations found that 62% of professional associations used the rod of Asclepius, whereas in commercial organizations, 76% used the caduceus. The usage of Caduceus as a symbol for medicine is considered incorrect by some scholars. ^[5]

Early confusion between the symbols almost certainly arose due to the links between alchemy and Hermes, whose symbol is the caduceus. Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and The alchemists adopted the caduceus because Hermes, the God of Messengers, was also the patron lord of gamblers, thieves, tricksters and alchemists. By the end of the 16th century, alchemy became widely associated with medicine in some areas, leading to some use of the caduceus as a medical symbol. "The Use of Mercury's Caduceus as a Medical Emblem" by Bernice S. Engle, a 5-page article in "The Classical Journal", Vol. 25, No. 3 (Dec. , 1929), pp. 204-208, deals with the use of the Caduceus by Sir William Butts, c1491-1545, physician to Henry VIII, who used it on his coat-of-arms and was the first medical man to use it. ^[6]

The main reason for the modern confusion over the symbols occurred when the caduceus was adopted by the Medical Department of the United States Army in 1902. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. ^[1] This was brought about by one Captain Reynolds, who after having the idea rejected several times by the Surgeon General, persuaded the new incumbent (WH Forwood) to adopt it. The mistake was noticed several years later by the librarian to the surgeon general, but was not changed. ^[1]

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

Standard representation

The rod of Asclepius has a representation on the Miscellaneous Symbols table of the Unicode Standard at U+2695 (⚕). The Miscellaneous Symbols plane of Unicode (2600–26FF contains various glyphs representing things from a variety of categories Astrological, Astronomical In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's

See also

• Aaron's rod

References