The Asclepius: The Ancient Standard of Physicians
To the Editor: The cover explanation in the March 2011 issue of the Journal erroneously identifies the Caduceus as “the ancient standard of physicians.” The Caduceus, a winged staff with two intertwined snakes, was the magical staff of the Greek god Hermes and the Roman god Mercury. They were the gods of “commerce, eloquence, invention, travel, and theft—symbols of heralds and commerce” (1). The Journal is not alone in using the Caduceus instead of the more traditional symbol of medicine, the single-snaked staff of Asclepius (2). It was the ancient Greek physician Asclepius who was deified as the god of medicine (3).
1. : The Caduceus vs the Staff of Asclepius (Asklepian). www.drblayney.com/Asclepius.htmlGoogle Scholar
2. : The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine. New York, Greenwood, 1992Google Scholar
3. : The symbol of modern medicine: why one snake is more than two. Ann Intern Med 2003; 138:673–677Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar
