Rod of Asclepius - Definition and Overview

The Rod of Asclepius is an ancient Greek symbol associated with medicine. It consists of a serpent entwined around a staff. Asclepius was the god of healing in the ancient Greek pantheon. He was instructed in medicine by the centaur Chiron.

The Rod of Asclepius symbolizes the healing arts by combining the serpent, which in shedding its skin is a symbol of rebirth and fertility, with the staff, a simple tool. Some scholars have suggested that the symbol once represented a worm wrapped around a rod; parasitic worms such as the "guinea worm" (Dracunculus medinensis) were common in ancient times, and were extracted from beneath the skin by winding them slowly around a stick. Physicians may have advertised this common service by posting a sign depicting a worm on a rod.

Widely recognised uses include the logos of the World Health Organization, the Star of Life and the American Medical Association.

A similar symbol, Nehushtan, is mentioned in the Bible as having been used for the healing of snakebite.

The Rod of Asclepius is frequently confused with the caduceus, which is a symbol of commerce associated with the god Hermes See serpent.

External link

• Blayney, Keith, "The Caduceus vs the Staff of Asclepius" (http://drblayney.com/Asclepius.html)