A staff or rod with a snake
curled around it is the staff (the rod) of Aesculapius
(also called Asklepios), the ancient mythical god of
medicine. His Greek name was Asklepios and his Roman name was
Aesculapius. In reality, Asklepios may have once lived and
been renowned for his gentle, humane remedies and his
humane treatment of the mentally ill. His
followers established temples called asclepions, temples of
Asklepios, temples of healing. The greatest asklepion was
in a grove of trees south of Corinth, Greece where the sick
had to spend a night while the proper remedies were
revealed during a dream to the priests of the temple and
the cured had to make a suitable sacrifice (usually a
rooster) to the god.
According to mythology, Asculapius had a number of
children including Hygieia, the goddess of health (from
whose name comes the word "hygiene") and Panaceia, the
goddess of healing (from whose name comes por word "panacea"
for a universal remedy).
Today, the staff of Aesculapius is
a commonly used symbol of medicine. It is the symbol of the
American Medical Association (AMA) and many other medical
societies.
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