The Rod and the Serpent: History’s Ultimate Healing Symbol

The snake has served as a medical emblem for more than 2400 years, since its association with the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing, Asclepius, in the 4th century BC. Its symbolic background can be traced further back to the worship of gods of earth’s blossom in ancient Egypt and earth-relat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World journal of surgery 2011, Vol.35 (1), p.217-221
Main Authors: Antoniou, Stavros A., Antoniou, George A., Learney, Robert, Granderath, Frank A., Antoniou, Athanasios I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdominal Surgery
Animals
Archaic Period
Army Medical Corps
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiac Surgery
Christian Tradition
Clinical Medicine - history
Emblems and Insignia - history
General aspects
General Surgery
History, Ancient
History, Medieval
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Renaissance Period
Sacred Tree
Snakes
Surgery
Symbolism
Thoracic Surgery
Vascular Surgery
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Summary:The snake has served as a medical emblem for more than 2400 years, since its association with the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing, Asclepius, in the 4th century BC. Its symbolic background can be traced further back to the worship of gods of earth’s blossom in ancient Egypt and earth-related deities of the archaic period of Greek antiquity. It is featured entwined around a staff of knowledge and wisdom in most anaglyphs depicting Asclepius. The snake was impressed in the Old and the New Testament as well as in the Christian tradition as a symbol of sin, rejuvenation, death, resurrection, asthenia, and therapy. It is postulated that the double-snake motif was reintroduced by Renaissance philosophers as a medical emblem due to the symbolic connections of Hermes with deliverance and redemption. However, its use during the last two centuries seems to lack substantial historical background. The historical, mythological, and traditional retrospection of the snake’s symbolism validates its appropriateness in the health-care field.
ISSN:0364-2313
1432-2323
DOI:10.1007/s00268-010-0686-y