Medical Signs

Where did the medical signs come from?

The Rod of Asclepius was the first well documented and easily identified medical sign or medical insignia. It included the image of the snake and the staff and is beleived to have originally signified the Ambiguity of Medicine and the Benefits of Drugs – they either worked well, and made the patient get better, or they didn’t and made the patient get worse and die.

The Medical Caduceus is more common these days and is often mis-interpreted as the Rod of Asclepius. It involves two serpents entwined by a rod and a set of angel wings and represens the Roman God “Hermes” and identifies the trade  (of Medicine) as being associated with or near to God.