Historical and Ethical Origin of the Medical Symbol: Which is the Staff and How Many Snakes?
Abstract:The symbol of medicine is known as the staff and snake from ancient mythological narratives to the present day. The medical symbol contains many historical and ethical values. In many civilizations, the snake has been associated with health, wisdom, strength, renewal and eternal life due to its shedding of skin. The aim of this review is to explain the historical and mythological origins of snake and staff figures and the professional values they represent. As symbols of medicine, staff and snake figures appear in different shapes and forms. The most common symbol is a single snake wrapped around a wooden staff and a double snake with wings wrapped around a golden staff. Physicians should know the history of these symbols, which are actually similar to each other, but different in terms of both their historical origins and the meanings they represent, and the professional values they represent. Which staff, a single snake or a double snake, is more proper for the symbol of medicine? The single snake wrapped around a staff is known in mythology as the staff of Asclepius, the god of medicine and health. The double snake wrapped around a golden staff is the staff called Caduceus belonging to Hermes, the messenger god in mythology.Naturally, the professional and medical values represented by these two figures differ from each other. We believe that it is important to know the mythological and historical roots of the medical symbol in order to keep alive the values it represents.Keywords: Medical History, Symbol of Medicine, Ethical Values.