Snakes and staffs
BMJ 2005; 330 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0506236 (Published 01 June 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;330:0506236
- Laxmi Vilas Ghimire, fifth year medical student1
- 1Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunk Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal
Pub Medic:Impress your mates at the pub with your startling repertoire of esoteric medical knowledge.
If you ask which symbol represents medicine and doctors, some people might say a white coat, others might say a stethoscope, but some may say that it is a snake entwining a staff. However, two different symbols that feature snakes and staffs are used to represent medicine. One is the aesculapian symbol, which has a snake rolled around the staff of Aesculapius. The other has two snakes entwined around the caduceus (staff) of Hermes with a pair of wings on the top called, unsurprisingly, the Caduceus of Hermes. But why are these used to represent the medical profession, and which one is a more accurate representative?
Aesculapius and his medical sign
Aesculapius is known as the Greek god of medicine and had a complicated start to life. He was the son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis. Although Apollo loved Coronis and impregnated her, Coronis fell in love with someone else and wanted to marry him. To avoid Apollo's humiliation, Artemis, the sister of Apollo, …
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