Why is the snake used as a symbol of medicine?
Why is the snake used in medicine? It is very common to see a symbol of snakes in hospitals, pharmacies and doctors’ offices.
The snake has long been a mysterious creature. His mysterious poison, his self-renewal through his change of skin and his ability to survive in different habitats (on land, under the ground and in the water) make him a source of inspiration.
What is the meaning and origin of the snake in medicine?
There are actually two versions of this symbol. The first is two coiled serpents on a winged staff called the Caduceus of Mercury (Hermes)
The second is the staff of Aesculapius (Asclepius) where there is a snake.
The origin of the snake in Medicine
For a long time it was thought that the origin of the symbol of Medicine was in Greek mythology. But more archaeologists have found similar symbols in older civilizations such as the Assyrian and Chaldean as well as in other times, in the Egyptian and Phoenician civilization.
Regarding the Greco-Roman stage, at first an olive branch was used. Other times it was a laurel or olive tree with a gnarled head that bifurcates in 2 and curls to join its ends. Later, they were artistically changed to snakes and Mercury’s wings were added.
Legend has it that the caduceus was given by Apollo to Mercury to end a dispute between them. Then Mercury found 2 fighting snakes on Mount Cithaeron and threw his rod at them to separate them. He watched as, without hurting each other, they twined and entwined themselves around the pole. The highest part of their bodies formed an arch. Their heads were facing each other with no sign of enmity.
For other scholars, the wings are the representation of the doctors , who, when the College of Pythagoras was dissolved in Samos, moved from one country to another without a fixed place. It is also claimed that they indicate activity, diligence and the speed with which they carry out their duties.
The snake wrapped around the staff recalls an event narrated in the Bible. The True God commanded Moses to make a copper snake and coil it around a stick. This would serve as a cure. The Israelites would have to look at this symbol when they were bitten by a poisonous snake, in a deadly plague of snakes that attacked the camp. Thus the plague of the serpents in the desert would not harm them any more (Numbers 11:7-9).
Snakes are creatures that have fascinated so many generations that it is not surprising that special powers or amazing abilities are attributed to them. If you want to know more curious facts about snakes , I invite you to read the article.
