You see it in hospitals and doctor's offices: an image of snakes on a stick. Since these animals can be dangerous, why are they part of a symbol for medicine? To begin with, there are actually two medical symbols with snakes. One is the Rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, and it shows a snake wrapped around a stick. For the ancient Greeks, a snake's shedding of its skin represented rebirth. That's partly how a snake became a symbol of healing and a supposed cure for various diseases. The other symbol, the Staff of Hermes, has two snakes wrapped around a stick. Hermes was a Greek god who protected travelers. He's connected with medicine because doctors in ancient times often had to walk long distances to see patients. In one story, Hermes tried to break up a fight between two snakes by throwing a stick at them. The snakes wrapped themselves around the stick and stayed there. Hermes liked the stick and made it his staff. As these stories show, snakes may be dangerous, but they've long been linked to saving lives. |
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