What is the significance of the serpent in Greek and Roman medicine?
The serpent is the symbol of Asculapius (Aesculapius) because it represented rejuvenation (renewal) as demonstrated by the periodic shedding of its skin. Many believed that snakes lived forever and that they helped discover health-giving medicinal herbs. According to one legend, a snake brought such herbs to Asculapius (Aesculapius) and to show his gratitude, he took on the shape of a serpent, too. The wooden staff was also designated as his symbol, because it represented his wanderings from place to place as he dispensed cures. It is at this point that disagreements have arisen. Some call the serpent and staff a caduceus and others say it is the “staff of Asclepius”, and that they are not the same. An Associated Press article from about November, 1994, discussed the accuracy of using the caduceus as the symbol for medicine. According to the article, for about 100 years, doctors, journalists, and book publishers “have been using the wrong symbol for medicine.” It seems that the Minneso
