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The serpent and the staff appear to have been separate symbols that were combined at some point in the development of the Asclepian cult. The significance of the serpent has been interpreted in many ways; sometimes the shedding of skin and renewal is emphasized as symbolizing rejuvenation , while other assessments center on the serpent as a symbol that unites and expresses the dual nature of the work of the physician, who deals with life and death, sickness and health.[ The ambiguity of the serpent as a symbol, and the contradictions it is thought to represent, reflect the ambiguity of the use of drugs, which can help or harm, as reflected in the meaning of the term pharmakon, which meant "drug", "medicine" and "poison" in ancient Greek[; we know that today antidotes and vaccines are often compounded from precisely the thing that caused the poisoning or illness. Products deriving from the bodies of snakes were known to have medicinal properties in ancient times, and in ancient Greece, at least some were aware that snake venom that might be fatal if it entered the bloodstream could often be imbibed. Snake venom appears to have been 'prescribed' in some cases as a form of therapy.

The staff has also been variously interpreted. One view is that it, like the serpent, "conveyed notions of resurrection and healing", while another (not necessarily incompatible) is that the staff was a walking stick associated with itinerant physicians. Cornutus, a philosopher probably active in the first century CE, in the Theologiae Graecae Compendium (Ch. 33) offers a view of the significance of both snake and staff that is worth quoting at length:

“ Asclepius derived his name from healing soothingly and from deferring the withering that comes with death. For this reason, therefore, they give him a serpent as an attribute, indicating that those who avail themselves of medical science undergo a process similar to the serpent in that they, as it were, grow young again after illnesses and slough off old age; also because the serpent is a sign of attention, much of which is required in medical treatments. The staff also seems to be a symbol of some similar thing. For by means of this it is set before our minds that unless we are supported by such inventions as these, in so far as falling continually into sickness is concerned, stumbling along we would fall even sooner than necessary. ”

—Asclepius: A Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies, Baltimore, 1945

History of Asclepius and His Rod

The rod of Asclepius is an ancient Greek symbol of a staff with a snake twined around it. In Greek mythology, Asclepius (also spelled Asklepios) was the son of Apollo and a practitioner of medicine. Hippocrates was a devoted follower of the god Asclepius.

Asclepius was born of Apollo and a human female. Apollo learned that his beloved was unfaithful to him and sent an arrow hurling through her heart. She told him as she lay dying that he should have waited as she was pregnant with his son Asclepius. As she

burned on her funeral pyre, Apollo snatched the child out of her womb and took him to the centaur Chiron who raised him with wisdom and the knowledge of medicine.

Asclepius was also taught magic (not the entertaining kind) and he learned to raise the dead. Zeus considered this an offence to the natural order and struck Asclepius dead with a thunder bolt. Asclepius was thus born in fire and died in fire. Zeus realized that Asclepius had been important to humankind and placed him in the sky as the constellation Ophiuchus (serpent-bearer).

One method of devotion and cure for the Greeks was to make a pilgrimage to one of the temples dedicated to Asclepius. There they would sleep in the abaton building, hoping to be visited by Asclepius in their dreams during the night. Upon waking they would tell the priests of their dreams and the priests would prescribe a cure such as a visit to the baths or to a gymnasium, or they would perform rituals to rid them of their illnesses.

Non-venomous snakes were found in abundance at the temples and in the abaton where the worshippers slept. The snakes were considered to represent the god, and were fed by devotees and priests.

After being healed, the devotees would often give a gift to the temple such as an animal sacrifice or a tablet describing the illness and the cure. Another example was to offer a clay representation of the healed body part. Many terra-cotta hands, feet, breasts, arms, legs, etc., were found in excavations of the temples.

The snake symbol represents both death and life, and sometimes medicine can be both harmful and healing. In ancient Greece, some were aware that snake venom that might be fatal if it entered the bloodstream could often be swallowed without the same harmful effects. Snake venom may have been one prescription at the time for a serious illness. The sacred snake of Asclepius represented healing, renewal of youth and resurrection.

Astrological connection

The two symbols were also associated with astrology. 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 Scorpius. In early Christianity, the constellation Ophiuchus was associated with Saint Paul holding the Maltese Viper.

Confusion with the Caduceus

The Caduceus is often (incorrectly) used as a symbol for medicine or doctors, in place of the Rod of Asclepius which is the usual symbol of the medical profession. A 1992 survey of American health organisations found that 62% of professional associations used the staff of Asclepius, whereas in commerical organisations, 76% used the caduceus.

Early confusion between the symbols almost certainly arose due to the links between alchemy and Hermes, whose symbol is the caduceus. 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.[5] This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, by Praxiteles, found at the Heraion, Olympia, 1877 Hermes (Greek, , IPA: ), in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures...

The main reason for the modern confusion over the symbols occured when the caduceus was adopted by the Medical Department of the United States Army in 1902. 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.[6] The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...

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.

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