Snakes have been used as a symbol of medicine and health in different cultures and geographies starting from 3000 BC. There are different opinions about where the symbol was first used. However, when evaluated chronologically, it was first encountered in Sumerian tablets in Mesopotamia, then in Egypt and then in Greek mythology.
Snakes has been used as a
symbol of medicine and health in different cultures and geographies starting
from 3000 BC. There are different opinions about where the symbol was first
used. However,
when evaluated chronologically, it was first encountered in Sumerian tablets in
Mesopotamia, then in Egypt and then in Greek mythology. Today, snake and wand
symbols are used in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and veterinary
medicine in many parts of the world. It is also used as a logo in medical
products, drugs, companies producing and distributing medical equipment,
hospitals and medical institutions, and patient follow-up programs in medical
applications.
Medical Symbol in Greek Mythology
Koronis and Apollo
and the god of health. He used to visit his patients with a snake-wrapped staff
and heal him. In the sculptures of Asclepius, he is depicted with a scepter in
his hand and a snake wrapped around it. The snake symbol used today in
medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary medicine is based on this.
According to
mythology, Asklepios took the treatment too far and started to resurrect the
dead. The chief god Zeus and the god of the underworld Hades were disturbed by
the immortality of humans. Zeus killed Asclepius with his lightning bolts. The
recipe for immortality, which he had before he died, fell to the ground, mixed
with the rain and turned into a garlic plant. Hygeia, the daughter of
Asklepios, the goddess of cleanliness, used the method of cleaning and
protecting health instead of her father's treatment methods. The hygiene term
used for the measures taken to prevent diseases today comes from the name of
this goddess.
The staff in
Asclepius' hand represents the god of goodness, and the snake represents evil.
The snake wrapped in a staff represents the coexistence of good and evil.
Symbol of Medicine in Ancient Egypt
Imhoteb, the chief
architect, chief priest, astrologer and physician of the palace, who lived in
Egypt around 2800 BC, was identified with the Greek god Asklepios. The name of
the city of Thebes, where Imhoteb lived, became a symbol of medicine, and the
snake, which was the symbol of the city, became a symbol of medicine.
Sumerian Tablets in Mesopotamia
The
symbol of the serpent wrapped in a branch was first encountered in Sumerian
tablets in Mesopotamia. In the epic of Gilgamesh, it is written that the snake
eats the grass of immortality and changes its skin, becomes young and immortal.
Meaning of Medicine Symbol
Different meanings
have been attributed to the symbol of the snake wrapped around the staff in
different cultures.The snake represents
good and evil.
- ·
One of the two snakes
is good and the other is evil.
- ·
The snake changes its
skin and rejuvenates and represents immortality.
- ·
Snake kills venom but
is also used to make antidotes.
- ·
The snake lives both
underground and above ground and carries the power of the soil to the ground.
- ·
The snake connects
the earth from the darkness of the underground.
- ·
The staff or branch
shows the relationship between the earth and the earth.
- ·
Asa is a plant like
many medicinal plants.
- ·
The wand is the
support of the sick or handicapped person.
Referance:
- ·
Lokman Hekim
Journal XI. National Conference on the History of Turkish Pharmacy 25-28 May
2014 http://lokmanhekim.mersin.edu.tr
- ·
Tıbbın Sembolü
Olarak Neden Yılan Figürü Kullanılır? 17 Ağustoz
2017 https://doktorlarsitesi.net/2017/08/17/tibbin-sembolu-olarak-yilan-figuru-kullanilir/