Medical Emblems: Rod of Asclepius or Caduceus? By Maria Crescenzi Andrew Nichols, Advisor A thesis submitted is partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Classical Studies University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 21 April 2015 Crescenzi 2 Medical Emblems: Rod of Asclepius or Caduceus? Abstract Historical and mythological evidence depicts the snake as an appropriate symbol in the healthcare field. Two ancient emblems depicting snakes entwined with a staff have been associated with the medical field. Hermes’ Caduceus has been mistakenly associated with medicine, while the rod of Asclepius correctly represents the symbol of medicine based on tradition and mythological context. The association between the Caduceus and medicine seems to stem from conformity rather than from tradition, which is the result of modern society (particularly the United States) following a trend rather than paying attention to historical context. This paper will explore the history of the confusion between the rod of Asclepius and the Caduceus through mythology, history, and modern popular culture. Introduction Birth of Asclepius Asclepius, the god of medicine, was the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Coronis. Before Asclepius’ birth, Apollo discovered Coronis’ infidelity with a mortal man and warranted her death by his sister Artemis. Artemis burned Coronis on a funeral pyre at Apollo’s request, but because Apollo felt guilty for killing his unborn child, he managed to cut Asclepius from the womb of the burning Coronis. This legendary birth is interesting to note because as the god of medicine he marks one of the earliest indications for Cesarean section (commonly known as C-section). The baby Asclepius was entrusted to Chiron, a centaur with exceptional medicinal skills who became Asclepius’ mentor while he was growing up (Hart 232). From Minor Deity to God of Medicine Crescenzi 3 Asclepius was only a minor deity who was learning the art of medicine through Chiron. He served the role of a Greek physician and offered “health and freedom from disease” (Hart 232) to mankind through the priests and physicians associated with his temple. He went from town to town healing people from pain and disease with his remedies. Asclepius’ capacity for healing continued to increase until eventually he was capable of raising the dead. Asclepius took the opportunity to revive those who have died, which frustrated Hades because he claimed that Asclepius was “depopulating his domain” (Hart 233). Considering his brother’s complaint, Zeus also worried that Asclepius was disrupting the natural order of the universe by bringing the dead back to life. Consequently, Zeus struck Asclepius with a bolt of lightning as punishment for interfering with nature. After Asclepius’ death, Zeus deified him and he became the god of medicine (Hart 233). The Rise and Fall of the Asclepian Cult Because of Asclepius’ increased power and appeal, before the third century A.D. his religious cult was the predominant religion in the ancient world (Hart 233). The Asclepian cult was popular throughout Greece and surrounding Mediterranean countries and people would travel to his temples called Asclepieions to seek cures for sickness and disease. Although Asclepian cult prayer was the most important aspect of the ritual, sacrifices of cock or lamb were frequent occurrences, similar to the animal sacrifices in the worship of any god in antiquity (Hart 233). In the third century A.D. the rise of Christianity resulted in the fall of the Asclepian cult. Hart discusses Christianity’s rejection of Asclepius more than any other pagan deity and attributes this to the fact that Jesus was also a healer in the Christian tradition (234). Christianity also condemned the Asclepian cult because Asclepius excluded the dying and pregnant, while Crescenzi 4 Jesus offered sanctuary to all. Even though both are healers, Christianity criticized Asclepian religion, which is mirrored in today’s western culture with allopathic and osteopathic physicians. People from different academic or philosophic backgrounds have a tendency to compare and criticize other methods for similar outcomes. Although the rise of Christianity caused the decline of Asclepian religion, “he is still among us even if the humors have been replaced by hormones and the temples by hospitals” (Hart 236). Asclepian religion declined during the early Christian era, but the pagan god resurfaced and is still considered the god of medicine and a symbol of healing today. The Rod of Asclepius Several myths describing the origin of Asclepius’ staff and how Asclepius chose his symbol exist. However, in the most popular story of origin, Asclepius is examining Glaukos, a man whom Zeus killed with a thunderbolt. A serpent slithered into the room and Asclepius responded by killing it with his staff. He was surprised and inspired when a second serpent appeared to revive the snake by putting herbs into its mouth that he decided to adopt the snake entwined around his staff as his symbol for healing and rejuvenation (Wilcox 673). Although the rod of Asclepius was a very popular symbol and motif, the Catholic Church suppressed the worship of pagan gods and any Greco-Roman symbols associated with anything other than Jesus Christ. From the sixth century until the Renaissance, the urine flask took the place of the rod of Asclepius as the prominent symbol for medicine. However, Catholic icons and saints began to lose favor, which encouraged the rediscovery of symbols from antiquity (Wilcox 674). Countries in northern Europe became fond of these ancient symbols even though they did not view Asclepius and the other pagan gods as deities under their own religion. People accepted these symbols into their society for what they represent and not for where they came Crescenzi 5 from. The Asclepian, a term used to describe the rod of Asclepius, was again renounced the symbol of medicine, and the myth of Asclepius is now connected to the origins of medical science and the healing arts. Birth of Hermes Hermes, the herald of the Olympian gods, was the son of Zeus and a nymph named Maia. Zeus impregnated Maia in the middle of the night, like so many others, and by dawn, Hermes was born in a cave in Arcadia (Wilcox 675). Hermes was an unethical child who ran off to Thessaly not long after he was born. There, he encountered Apollo’s cattle and stole several to take back to a cave near the city of Pylos. Hermes sacrificed two of the cattle and a tortoise, which he used to make a musical instrument known as the lyre. He used cords from the cattle to string the tortoise shell, thus inventing the lyre. Apollo, Hermes’ brother, was infuriated when he found out what happened so he immediately went to Maia to explain the situation to her. She did not believe Apollo because baby Hermes was bundled up and could not have gone all the way to Thessaly and back with cattle. Zeus intervened because he saw Hermes’ deceitful act and ordered Hermes to return the cattle to Apollo. Hermes took the opportunity to play his lyre, which enchanted Apollo, causing him to offer Hermes the cattle in exchange for his lyre. Later, Apollo mastered the art of the lyre and thus became one of his symbols (Wilcox 675). Deceitful Hermes Hermes was clever and inventive, and he continued to use these tactics to his advantage. After creating the lyre, he was accredited as the inventor of the pan-pipes and the flute. While Hermes was watching over his new cattle, he made a shepherd’s pipe (pan-pipes) out of reeds, and this caught Apollo’s attention. Apollo, with his new appreciation for music, also desired this Crescenzi 6 musical instrument so he exchanged his golden wand used to herd the cattle for Hermes’ pipe (Wilcox 676). This golden wand became Hermes’ herald staff. Hermes is the messenger of the gods, which means it is his duty to guide the departed souls to the underworld. He is also considered a god of travel who is a patron of roads. Originally, Hermes was a phallic god, which was associated with fertility and good fortune. Despite the various representations of Hermes, he is also loosely associated with peace and medicine because of his remote connections with alchemy. Caduceus The Caduceus symbol was created when Hermes separated two fighting serpents with his new staff from Apollo. The serpents entwined themselves around the staff, which formed the Caduceus symbol for friendship and peace. The wings typically portrayed today on the Caduceus symbol were not originally in the design. Hermes’ wings did not appear on the emblem until about 250 B.C. (Wilcox 676). Hermes was an ingenious deceiver, who was also the patron of thieves, merchants, and travelers, as well as the god of luck, games, and commerce (Wilcox 676). These aspects of Hermes’ character contradict the values of a physician and the medical field in general, which marks Hermes’ Caduceus as an inappropriate symbol of medicine (Sacks 464). The only significant association regarding the art of medicine is in reference to Hermes’ role as patron of the alchemists. Antoniou discusses the interpretation of the Caduceus as a medical emblem, which references alchemy as the “precursor to chemistry and pharmacology,” meaning that “it is speculated that the symbol of the patron of the alchemists thereby became an allegorical emblem of medicine” (Antoniou 220). In regards to medicine, the only aspect to Hermes and his staff that could make an appropriate symbol would be in palliative care. Palliative physicians and specialists help ease patients’ remaining days and help guide them to Crescenzi 7 peace in death. Because Hermes guides the dead to the underworld, this could be an appropriate representation of the Caduceus in the medical community.