Caduceus: A Medical Symbol of Deception, or Is There More to That?

The serpent is the most popular representative symbol of medicine. The two main figures commonly used are the rod of Asclepius and the caduceus. Much controversy exists in the literature on whether the caduceus is a false symbol for medicine or not. The history of how these depictions came to be ambassadors of the medical science is elusive to many physicians. Scholars suggest that the origin of this false belief dates back to 1902, when the US Army Medical Corps first incorporated the caduceus as its symbol. This current essay is an attempt to discover and interpret how the snake came to be part of the rod of Asclepius and the caduceus, and constitute the symbol of medicine in our days. It is widely accepted that a doctor's obligation is not only in healing the ill, but the task that is bestowed upon him is more complex. Therefore, one should be considered more of a physician rather than simply a doctor.

Simbología en medicina y ciencias de la salud / Symbology in medicine and health sciences

La inclusión curricular de la historia de la medicina se hace cada vez más importante, y dentro de la misma el estudio de la simbología en medicina es un tema muy interesante y a veces polémico. Los símbolos asociados a la medicina usualmente presentan serpientes asociadas a los mismos, siendo los más reconocidos el bastón de Asclepio/Esculapio y el caduceo de Hermes/Mercurio. Las serpientes se encuentran asociadas a consideraciones positivas y negativas en las diferentes culturas del mundo. En el Antiguo Egipto eran símbolos de sabiduría y poder. En la Biblia tenían un rol dual y una participación en al menos un evento relacionado a curaciones masivas. La mitología griega nos provee de elementos que conectan a serpientes enrolladas en torno a una rama o vara directamente con la medicina. El tratamiento de la dracunculiasis nos otorga otra vía de conexión entre esta imagen y la medicina. El bastón de Asclepio/Esculapio se reconoce como símbolo de la medicina y las ciencias de la salud en general, mientras que el caduceo se asocia a otras profesiones no médicas.

The curricular inclusion of the history of medicine is becoming more and more important, and within it the study of symbology in medicine is a very interesting and sometimes controversial subject. The symbols associated with medicine usually present snakes associated with them, the most recognized being the rod of Asclepius/ Aesculapius and the Hermes/Mercury caduceus. Snakes are associated with positive and negative considerations in the different cultures of the world. In Ancient Egypt they were symbols of wisdom and power. In the Bible they had a dual role and a participation in at least one event related to massive healings. Greek mythology provides us with elements that connect snakes coiled around a branch or rod directly to medicine. The treatment of dracunculiasis gives us another way of connection between this image and medicine. The rod of Asclepius/ Aesculapius is recognized as a symbol of medicine and health sciences in general, while the caduceus is associated with other non-medical professions

The Encounter of the Emblematic Tradition with Optics. The Anamorphic Elephant of Simon Vouet.

In his excellent work Anamorphoses ou perspectives curieuses (1955), Baltrusaitis concluded the chapter on catoptric anamorphosis with an allusion to the small engraving by Hans Tröschel (1585-1628) after Simon Vouet's drawing Eight satyrs observing an elephant reflected on a cylinder, the first known representation of a cylindrical anamorphosis made in Europe. This paper explores the Baroque intellectual and artistic context in which Vouet made his drawing, attempting to answer two central sets of questions. Firstly, why did Vouet make this image? For what purpose did he ideate such a curious image? Was it commissioned or did Vouet intend to offer it to someone? And if so, to whom? A reconstruction of this story leads me to conclude that the cylindrical anamorphosis was conceived as an emblem for Prince Maurice of Savoy. Secondly, how did what was originally the project for a sophisticated emblem give rise in Paris, after the return of Vouet from Italy in 1627, to the geometrical study of catoptrical anamorphosis? Through the study of this case, I hope to show that in early modern science the emblematic tradition was not only linked to natural history, but that insofar as it was a central feature of Baroque culture, it seeped into other branches of scientific inquiry, in this case the development of catoptrical anamorphosis. Vouet's image is also a good example of how the visual and artistic poetics of the baroque were closely linked--to the point of being inseparable--with the scientific developments of the period.

El orígen del símbolo de medicina / The origin of the symbol of medicine

El simbolismo constituye una de las formas de lenguaje más arcaicas del pensamiento huma- no. Un símbolo es la expresión artística de una idea en común; y en la medicina, como en otras ciencias, el simbolismo forma parte del lenguaje para la comunicación efectiva. Actualmente, existen dos representaciones del símbolo de la medicina que se han confundido a través del tiempo por una malinterpretación de más o menos un siglo. La intención de este artículo es aclarar la confusión que existe sobre el origen real del símbolo de la medicina. Un total de 137 publicaciones relacionadas fueron encontradas. En la literatura de nuestro país unicamente se encontró una publicación que data de 1947. Las evidencias históricas demuestran que el símbolo representativo de la medicina es la vara de Asclepio-Esculapio y no el caduceo de Hermes- Mercurio que es en realidad el símbolo de los comerciantes...

A strange imaginotheca by Louis de Caseneuve.

Our purpose was to analyse the treatment of one of Galen's major contributions, his systematization of the doctrine of the four temperaments he inherited from his predecessors (Aristotle, Alcmaeon of Crotone, Empedocles, Philolaus), in Lodovico Casanova's Hieroglyphicorum et medicorum emblematum dodekakrounous (Lugduni, Sumptibus Pauli Frellon, 1626). We concentrated on the four temperaments to study how in medical emblems, allegory and symbols are used to represent medical knowledge through the device of visual loci destined to be decoded and memorized.

The Elephant Logo for the Turner Dental Hospital and School, Manchester.

The elephant logo for the Turner Dental Hospital and School is illustrated and the design is attributed to Lady Worthington, wife of the architect Sir Hubert Worthington.

Significado dos rituais de formaturas para os egressos da Escola de Enfermagem de Manaus/AM (1955-2010) / Meaning of graduation ceremonies for the graduates of the Nursing School of Manaus/AM (1955-2010)

O estudo teve por objetivo analisar o significado dos rituais de formaturas para os egressos da Escola de Enfermagem de Manaus/AM, ocorridos no período de 1955 a 2010. Pesquisa qualitativa, históricosocial, realizada a partir das entrevistas junto a 24 egressos por meio da técnica de história oral temática e a técnica de análise iconográfica, sendo o corpus documental contextualizado em escritos dispostos em três categorias: descrição do ritual de formatura (pessoas, roupas, locais); fatos/acontecimentos marcantes; e o significado da formatura. Os resultados evidenciaram que os rituais de formatura significavam vitória, realização pessoal e conquista pessoal e profissional.

[On gods, snakes and staffs--the emblem of the medical profession].

The commonly accepted emblems of the Medical Profession are the staff of the Greek god of medicine--Asklepios (or Asclepius], on which one serpent is entwined. Later, around the 16th century C.E., the wand of the herald of the Greek Gods, e.g., Hermes, on which two snakes are entwined and facing each other, became popular as the emblem of the medical profession. We elaborate on the history of the evolution of these emblems as symbols of medicine, including earlier influences from the times of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, which were followed by Judeo-Christian traditions and concepts. The relevance of the use of the wand of Hermes as an emblem of our profession is further discussed.

Re-visioning medicine.

Studies suggest that medical students and physicians have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation than their peers in the general population. Some authors have suggested that medical culture perpetuates these problems by erecting "barriers to treatment," preventing students and physicians from getting the help they need. Here, the author begins a broader examination of the potential role of culture by examining the myths and symbols that form the basis for medical culture and the medical self-image. The author argues that a medical self-image based on a de-contextualized medical mythology, the Asclepius myth, results in a sense of professional identity that is unbalanced, dehumanized, and characterized by unattainable expectations. The outward expression of this medical self-image, the medical culture, is often a-relational, unhealthy, stressed, or even toxic. The author suggests some ways of re-modeling medical culture, including its rituals and symbols, and medical education in ways that incorporate what is currently kept in its shadow.

El bastón de Esculapio: su historia / The walking stick of Aesculapius: its history

Se realizó la revisión bibliográfica con el objetivo de que los jóvenes profesionales de la salud conozcan acerca de la historia, origen y significado del distintivo que representa a la Medicina en todos sus campos con un carácter humanista y elevados valores éticos y morales: el emblema de Esculapio, al que se le atribuyen dotes para calmar o apaciguar. Esta imagen del bastón con la serpiente es la que ha quedado como un atributo del dios curativo y ha llegado hasta la actualidad como símbolo de la Medicina(AU)

The literature review was made in order to young health professionals know about the history , origin and meaning of the emblem that represents the Medicine in all fields with humanist and high ethical values and moral character : the Aesculapius emblem, the feats attributed to him to calm or appease . This image of the snake with the cane has remained as a healing attribute of God and has come to the present as a symbol of medicine(AU)