The name of the symbol is Caduceus and it is thought to be the staff carried by the Greek God Hermes. Hermes was a venal trickster and is the patron of traders, clever cunning thieves, liars, sheperds, etc. What has it got to do with Medicine and how did his staff become the symbol of Medicine? Exactly!
This is not a heresy, but Caduceus is actually the symbol of commerce and negotiation and not Medicine. Then how did Caduceus become the symbol of Medicine and if its not Caduceus, then what is the legit 'regalia' of Medicine? Some might argue that Caduceus is actually carried by the God Mercury. Even then, it has no connection with Medicine. Mercury is also a God to thieves, gamblers, liars, merchants, etc.
Stuart L Tyson of Columbia University says:- " His (Hermes') silver-tongued eloquence could always make the worse appear the better cause. From this latter point of view, would not his symbol be suitable for certain Congressmen, all medical quacks, book agents and purveyors of vacuum cleaners, rather than for the straight-thinking, straight-speaking therapist? As conductor of the dead to their subterranean abode, his emblem would seem more appropriate on a hearse than on a physician's car."
How did such a vile symbol, as it should be, become the symbol of something which the people call as the noblest profession of all?
Quote from Wikipedia :- "Caduceus was used as a symbol of medicine as far back as the 16th Century. However, as Friedlander noted, what Caius (President of Royal College of Physicians at that time) used was a non-specific herald's wand, rather than the caduceus of Hermes. In support of this assertion he quotes Caius's own words on why he chose a herald's wand as a symbol, making it clear that he chose it as a symbol of prudence.This same passage was also earlier referenced by Engle in refuting Garrison's claim. Engle and Friedlander are not the only ones to have noted that the use of the Caduceus by Caius had nothing to do with supposed medical symbolism; as indicated in a publication produced by the Royal College of Physicians itself: By introducing the caduceus into the ceremony of the College of Physicians, Caius unintentionally added to the confusion between the two emblems for later times, when few people understand the visual signs with which he was so familiar."
That's the history. The present day use of Caduceus in medical profession owes a lot to US Army Medical Corps.
Wikipedia quotes:- "Use of the caduceus in this sense was popularised largely as a result of the adoption of the Caduceus as its symbol by the US Army Medical Corps in 1902. Caduceus had appeared on the chevrons of Army hospital stewards as early as 1856 (William K. Emerson indicates the insignia was adopted earlier, in 1851). It has been asserted that this was a result of ignorance or misinterpretation regarding the pre-existing designation of the rod of Asclepius by the Surgeon General of the United States for this purpose The Caduceus was formally adopted by the Medical Department of the United States Army in 1902 and was added to the uniforms of Army medical officers. According to Friedlander, this was brought about by one Captain Frederick P. Reynolds, although Bernice Engle states "the use of the caduceus in our army I believe to be due chiefly to the late Colonel Hoff, who has emphasized the suitability of the caduceus as an emblem of neutrality. Reynolds had the idea rejected several times by the Surgeon General, but persuaded the new incumbent — Brig. Gen. William H. Forwood— to adopt it. This resulted in considerable controversy. "
Continuing..
"The Army and Navy Register of 28 June 1902 discusses the argument, which reflects the fact that a number of medical officers were unhappy with the choice. The article editor claims that the symbol was not chosen for its medical connotations and proposes the following symbolic interpretation: "the rod represents power, the serpents stand for wisdom and the two wings imply diligence and activity, qualities which are undoubtedly possessed by our Medical officers." The editor also points out that the majority of Medical Corps personnel are not even doctors. According to this line of reasoning, the caduceus was never intended to be a symbol of medicine. The inconsistency was noticed several years later by the librarian to the Surgeon General, but for reasons which are not entirely clear, the symbol was not changed"
Luke Van Orden says :- "Well, so much for the Caduceus. Somebody obviously got the wrong symbol for modern medicine–or did they? The Caduceus seems to be an appropriate symbol for modern commercial medicine. Of particular relevance are the functions of escorting souls of the dead, wisdom, fertility, commerce, luck, eloquence, cheating and thieving. These have become symbolic of how medicine evolved in the late Twentieth Century." Ah, the art of sardonicism. Reminds me of my father. Anyway, if Caduceus should never have been adopted as the symbol of medicine, what should be? Its not too knotty and may of you actually know it. The legit symbol of Medicine is The Rod of Asclepius.
Yes, you have seen it many a times - a single serpent entwined around a staff. And yeah, it is the real insignia of Medicine. Whereas Hermes was a vicious swindler, Asclepius used to heal people and tried to bring the dead/terminally ill back to life. He was the son of Apollo, the latter himself being an elegant healer. Hippocrates himself was a worshipper of Asclepius. The latter was so skilled in medical arts that he was reputed to have brought patients back from the dead. This certainly didn't please his bosses for it was considered to be a sin and a sacrilege to bring people back from the dead. So the Big Boss (Zeus) killed him with a thunderbolt and placed his body in the heavens as the constellation Opiuchus (serpent-bearer). Anyway, he was widely revered by his patients and it is believed that the healed ones gave him a serpent as an attribute indicating that those who avail themselves of medical science undergo a process similar to the serpent in that they, as it were, grow young again after illnesses and slough off old age; also because the serpent is a sign of attention, much of which is required in medical treatments.
Asclepius is truly the bona fide God of Medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians in Greek Religion.
Wikipedia quotes : "The rod of Asclepius is the dominant symbol for healthcare professionals and associations in the United States. One survey found that 62% of healthcare professionals used the rod of Asclepius, while 76% of commercial healthcare organizations used the caduceus.It is relatively common, especially in the United States, to find the Caduceus, with its two snakes and wings, used as a symbol of medicine instead of the correct rod of Asclepius, with only a single snake."
No comments:
Post a Comment