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Why is the Medical Symbol a Snake?

Authors:

Abstract

Currently, health-related professions and institutions are symbolized with an illustration of a snake wrapped around a branch of a tree, a stick or a rod. In this article, we will try to find out why the snake, which has influenced the humankind since the ancient ages and has been given place in legends and mythologies, has been depicted in ancient age reliefs, statues and coins, and has taken part in written texts, is accepted as the symbol of health and medicine in the light of ancient archaeological coin images.
172
©Copyright 2019 by the İstanbul Training and Research Hospital/İstanbul Medical Journal published by Galenos Publishing House.
©Telif Hakkı 2019 İstanbul Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi/İstanbul Tıp Dergisi, Galenos Yayınevi tarafından basılmıştır.
Received/Geliş Tarihi: 21.02.2018
Accepted/Kabul Tarihi: 03.11.2018
DO I: 10.4274/imj.galenos.2018.65902
İstanbul Med J 2019; 20(2): 172-5
Introduction
Nowadays, health-related professions and institutions are symbolized
with an illustration of a snake wrapped around a branch of a tree, a stick
or a rod. Although there are various animals that have protective instincts
for humans or that can communicate with human beings, an association
has been accepted to be present between health and this unpleasant
and cold creature. Indeed, it is difficult to find any other creature other
than the snake that has been attributed such negative meanings. It was
once considered a God and was expected to offer remedies (1-3), and
then was regarded as a scary creature that could kill humans with its
poison.
The snake has influenced mankind since ancient times and has been
given a place in legends and mythologies. It was also depicted in ancient
age reliefs, statues and coins, and was included in written texts. In this
article, we are going to discuss in the light of ancient age coin visuals why
the snake is accepted as the symbol of health and medicine.
He was also depicted in antique reliefs, sculptures and coins, and was
included in written texts. In this article, we will discuss why the snake is
considered a symbol of health and medicine in the light of ancient coins.
Discussion
Snake is different from other animals, as it can slough its skin off, move
fast despite the absence of feet and live underground, above the ground
and under water (1,4). Thanks to these characteristics, it has attracted the
attention of mankind since ancient times, and it has been regarded to
be holy and protecting, respected with slight fear, and even worshipped
to it. (5).
Throughout history, the snake has been attributed several features such
as renewal, youth, fertility, medicine, long life, immortality, common
sense, precaution, physical power, potency, wisdom, farsightedness,
prophecy, good luck and speed (5-10). The main reason for the association
of snake with health is that it gets renewed and rejuvenated by sloughing
its skin off. This is a process that symbolizes the metamorphosis among
birth, life and death (4,6,11-13). Furthermore, as an animal that can live
underground, above the ground and under water, snake is deemed to
be a creature which knows the best about the healing power of nature
that is evident in natural spring waters, flowers and herbs and thus, the
symbol of health and medicine is attributed to it (14).
It is not known exactly where and when the snake first appeared in
mythologies and legends, but it is observed to have taken a significant
ÖZABSTRACT
Günümüzde sağlıkla ilgili meslekler ve kurumlar, dal, sopa
veya asaya sarılmış yılan resmiyle sembolize edilmektedir. Bu
yazımızda antik çağdan itibaren insanı etkilemiş, efsane ve
mitolojilerde geçmiş, antik dönem rölyef, heykel ve sikkelerde
resmedilmiş, yazılı metinlere girmiş olan yılanın neden sağlığın
ve tıbbın sembolü olarak seçildiğini antik dönem arkeolojik
sikke görselleri eşliğinde ortaya çıkarmaya çalışacağız.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Asklepios, Hermes, Kadukeus, Tıp, Yılan,
Sembol, Sikke
Currently, health-related professions and institutions are
symbolized with an illustration of a snake wrapped around a
branch of a tree, a stick or a rod. In this article, we will try to
find out why the snake, which has influenced the humankind
since the ancient ages and has been given place in legends and
mythologies, has been depicted in ancient age reliefs, statues
and coins, and has taken part in written texts, is accepted as
the symbol of health and medicine in the light of ancient
archaeological coin images.
Keywords: Asclepius, Hermes, Caduceus, Medicine, Snake,
Symbol, Coin
Address for Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi:
Kamil Gökhan Şeker, University of Health Sciences, İstanbul Bakırköy Dr.
Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Urology, İstanbul, Turkey
Phone:
+90 505 697 21 19
E-mail:
gkhnseker@hotmail.com
ORCID ID:
orcid.org/0000-0003-4449-9037
Cite this article as/Atıf: Güner E, Şeker KG, İzmir Güner Ş. Why is the Medical Symbol a Snake? İstanbul Med J
2019; 20(2): 172-5.
1University of Health Sciences, İstanbul Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Urology, İstanbul, Turkey
2Esenyurt University, Memorial Şişli Hospital, Clinic of Internal Medicine and Hematology, İstanbul, Turkey
Ekrem Güner1, Kamil Gökhan Şeker1, Şebnem İzmir Güner2
Tıbbın Sembolü Neden Yılan?
Why is the Medical Symbol a Snake?
History of Medicine/Tıp Tarihi
173
role in the Eastern and Asian mythologies since 3000 B.C. Mesopotamian
workpieces and structures belonging to 2800 B.C. have reliefs and legends
about snakes. The most important of these is the Epic of Gilgamesh. A
snake took away the jiaogulan that a hero named Gilgamesh took out
of the water. Once the snake ate this plant, it sloughed its skin off and
rejuvenated (5,15).
Snake is also important in the Egyptian mythology and it has preserved
the holy city, Thebai. Thebai is the most prominent health center in
ancient Egypt and its totem is a snake (16).
The ancient Greek world had some beliefs and mythologies from
Mesopotamia and Egypt, and it accepted the snake as the symbol of
eternal life. Asclepius, The God of medicine, was often portrayed in
statues, reliefs and coins as experienced and at adult age, accompanied
with a snake wrapped around a branch symbolizing the tree of life
(17,18) (Figure 1a). This branch is his rod and the snake is usually
depicted as wrapped around it (19,20) (Figure 1b). Images of isolated
snakes with head up and moving forward in curls mainly symbolize the
Asclepius (Figure 1c). The word Asclepius is thought to be derived from
the word “askalabos”, which means “snake” in Greek (14,21).
As the symbol of Asclepius, which is a snake, is believed to possess
eternal youth as it sloughs its skin off, it was directly associated with
health in the ancient Greek world (5). Asclepius was claimed to take its
healing power from the snake and the people offered their vows not to
Asclepius but to the snake, indeed. When Asclepius became the God of
medicine over time, the figure of a snake wrapped around the accessory
of the God, which is the rod, became the symbol of his healing power
(22-24).
Asclepius was represented as an old and trustable man with a rod in his
hand. This shows that medical education will not be short and that the
training and practice processes will last so long that one will grow old
and hold a rod for support. According to Asclepius, the God of medicine
and health, a doctor must also be as quiet as a snake, must not reveal
anyone’s secret to others, and work in patience and calmness.
There is no evidence about Caduceum (Figure 2), which is a double-
headed snake figure wrapped around the winged rod, Caduceus (25),
Güner et al. Symbol of Medicine
Figure 1. a) Asclepius with his serpent-entwined staff, Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus, Greece,
b) The Roman period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Pamphylia Region, Bronze coin issued in Perge city from 161 to 180 B.C. Front side: Daphne crowned, bearded Emperor
Marcus Aurelius. Back Side: The God Asclepius is standing holding his rod wrapped with a snake,
c) The Hellenistic period, Greece. Silver tetrobol issued in Kos Island from 167 to 88 BC. Front side: Daphne crowned, bearded God Asclepius. Back side: Coiled
snake with its head up
Figure 2. a) Statue of Hermes, From the Musei Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy,
b) The Hellenistic period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Mysia Region. Golden stater issued in Kyzikos town from 460 to 400 B.C. Front side: God Hermes, holding caduceus
with his left hand. Back side: Quadripartite incus,
c) The Roman period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Phyrgia Region. Bronze coin issued in Kibyra town from AD 218 to 222. Front side: Julia Soaemias. Back side: God
Hermes is sitting, holding caduceus in his left hand
174
İstanbul Med J 2019; 20(2): 172-5
which belongs to another Greek God, Hermes (Mercury in Greek)
(Figure 3a). In Europe, only at the end of the Middle age and in early
Renaissance age, the double-headed snake wrapped around the winged
rod of Hermes began to be used as a symbol associated with health
(18,26-29). The first official use of Caduceum is claimed to be by the US
Marine Service (29) (Figure 3b).
According to a research conducted in the US in 1992, 62% of professional
medical institutions were using the snake wrapped around the rod of
Hermes as a symbol, and medical commercial institutions were using
the double-headed snake wrapped around Hermes’ Caduceus (30) as
their symbol.
However, double-headed snake figure of God Hermes is mostly not
used by medical associations in Greece. Instead, the snake figure of God
Asclepius that was originated from mythology serves as a symbol for
several Greek medical associations (28).
Today, the single snake wrapped around the rod of Asclepius and the
double-headed snake wrapped around the winged rod of Hermes are
accepted as the symbols of medicine. Consequently, the common figures
of both Gods, which are the snakes wrapped around a rod, were adopted
as the symbol of health by health-related professions and institutions
and they used these in their logos. The figure of snake wrapped around
a rod, which takes place in the logo of the World Health Organization,
draws attention to the fact that it is very similar to the figure of snake
wrapped around a rod, which was illustrated on ancient coins (Figure 4).
Conclusion
Snake, which has been mentioned in legends, epics and mythologies
since 3000 B.C. and which has taken place in visual or written form in
ancient age statues, reliefs, coins and texts has appealed and influenced
the humankind for centuries. Since the ancient Greek age, the reason for
the snake to be accepted as the symbol of health has been explained in
the light of the characteristics attributed to snake.
The snake’s sloughing its skin off sort of means the renewal of life and
rejuvenation. Throughout history, the snake has been attributed several
features such as power, speed, farsightedness, good luck, healing,
health and long life which are associated with the occupations that offer
health and it highly deserves being the symbol of health and medicine
considering the fact that even its poison is healing for the humankind.
Whether wrapped around the rod of Asclepius or Hermes, all the heroes
of medicine proudly wear those snakes on their collars today as their
own symbols.
Figure 4. a) The Early Roman period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Mysia Region, Bronze coin issued in Pergamon town from AD 100 to 200. Front side: Pegamos wearing
a hat. Back side: A snake wrapped around a rod,
b) The Hellenistic period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Mysia Region, Bronze coin issued in Pergamon town in 131 B.C. Front side: Daphne crowned, bearded God Asclepius.
Back side: A snake wrapped around a rod,
c) The remarkable similarity between the logo of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the snake wrapped around the rod of Asclepius
Figure 3. a) The Early Roman period, Turkey, Asia Minor, Galatia Region. Bronze coin issued from 37 to 25 B.C. Front side: Hermes, wearing a hat and caduceus
on his shoulder. Back side: Winged Caduceus (kerykeion),
b) U.S Army Medical Department logo
175
Güner et al. Symbol of Medicine
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