The snake symbol has been used in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and veterinary medicine in many parts of the world today. It is also utilized as a logo for medical products, medicines, companies producing and distributing medical supplies, hospitals, medical institutions, and medical applications such as patient monitoring programs.
The Medical Symbol in Greek Mythology
According to mythology, the Greek god Asclepius, the son of Coronis and Apollo, is the god of health. He would visit his patients and heal them with his staff, around which a snake was coiled. In statues of Asclepius, he is depicted holding a staff with a snake wrapped around it. The snake symbol used in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and veterinary medicine today is based on this depiction.
According to mythology, Asclepius advanced the art of healing to the point of resurrecting the dead. This disturbed Zeus, the king of the gods, and Hades, the god of the underworld, as they feared humans becoming immortal. Zeus killed Asclepius with his lightning bolts. Before his death, the recipe for immortality fell to the ground, mixed with the rain, and transformed into the garlic plant. Asclepius' daughter, Hygeia, the goddess of cleanliness, focused on maintaining health through cleanliness rather than her father’s methods. The term "hygiene," used for measures to prevent disease today, derives from her name.
The staff held by Asclepius represents goodness, while the snake represents evil. The snake coiled around the staff symbolizes the coexistence of good and evil.
The Medical Symbol in Ancient Egypt
In Egypt, Imhotep, who lived around 2800 BCE, was the chief architect, high priest, astrologer, and physician of the royal court. He was equated with the Greek god Asclepius. The city of Thebes, where Imhotep lived, became a symbol of medicine, and its emblem, the snake, became the symbol of medicine.
Sumerian Tablets in Mesopotamia
The first depiction of a snake coiled around a branch was found in Sumerian tablets in Mesopotamia. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is written that the snake ate the plant of immortality, shed its skin, rejuvenated, and became immortal.
The Meaning of the Medical Symbol
The snake coiled around the staff has been attributed different meanings in various cultures:
- The snake represents both good and evil.
- Of two snakes, one symbolizes good, and the other symbolizes evil.
- The snake sheds its skin, rejuvenates, and symbolizes immortality.
- Snake venom can kill, but it is also used to create antidotes.
- The snake lives both underground and above ground, bringing the power of the earth to the surface.
- The snake connects the darkness of the underworld to the surface world.
- The staff or branch symbolizes the connection between the earth and the surface.
- The staff, like many medicinal plants, is a plant.
- The staff serves as support for the sick or disabled.
References:
- Lokman Hekim Journal XI. National Conference on the History of Turkish Pharmacy 25-28 May 2014, http://lokmanhekim.mersin.edu.tr
- "Why is the Snake Figure Used as a Symbol of Medicine?" Archived on 17.06.2021. Last Accessed 20.06.2021