Okay, so you know what I mean? That symbol of the (I think) two snakes coiled around a pole?
I read somewhere that it comes from Greek mythology. Hermes to be exact. He was a messanger but also he was associated with medicine or something. He went around with a pole that had snakes coiled around it and two wings at the top. When he touched the eyes of the dead with it, they went to the underworld.
Cool, I thought. Then I heard somewhere that it actually can be traced right back to Babylon!
Where did it originate? Does it have a name? And why do we use that symbol for medicine?
The resemblance in structure between the caduceus and the kundalini — the central sushumna column with the ida and pingala twined around it, crossing at certain points along its length — the resemblance is quite uncanny.
At the page linked to by “don’t ask” the origin of the caduceus symbol as related to parasitic worm removal is mentioned. In my parasitology class we were told that a likely origin of the caduceus symbol was specifically the removal of the Guinea Worm (Dracunculus) by slowly wrapping the parasitic worm around a stick.
Here’s one web page that supports the theory that Dracunculus was the origin of the caduceus symbol.
(If your doctor uses a twin-snaked caduceus instead of a single-snake Aesculepii staff, consider that he might be more interested in commerce than in medicine.)
I tend to agree with Jomo Mojo’s observation between the caduceus and the traditional Indian and Tibetan models of kundalini energy, a key concept in understanding Eastern medical theory. According to that model, the human body has a dual polarity of energy (for lack of a better Western word), winding up through the spinal cord, and that energy is key to keeping a balance of bodily health. The topping wings of the caduceus also corellate to the Eastern use of of the Lotus at the top of the head, symbolising the union between human and Divine, and ultimate healing.
If the more functional parasite twining on a staff model is used, why are the wings included on the caduceus? To my mind, they symbolize a healing union between self and the Divine. I would hope that medical traditions, regardless of age, aren’t hinging their ability to drag worms out of the body as their highest hopes for the profession.
I can see that I am opening myself up to some Ya Yee-ha New Ager judgement. My observation comes from studying Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese methods of medicine. I greatly respect those traditions, and see a great deal of knowledge that Western medicine can benefit from. The caduceus symbol seems to say the same thing , to me. It’s not about snakes, or worms, literally. It is an expression of an ancient concept of healing. Duality of energy (again, my lack of a word, I hope that a rational explaination will happen soon) , the staff is the Human body, and the wings are union with the Divine, and that’s Healing. For me, the Divine doesn’t mean a Creator God. I think it’s much weirder than that.
I’ll leave it at that, 'cause I’m creeping out on a weird branch. But, the parallels between the caduceus and Eastern medical thought are too strong to ignore.
While parallels to other cultures are interesting, the fact that the ancients did not used the twin-snake caduceus as a symbol of medicine for themselves tends to argue against a connection.
The following site traces the image back to the Sumerian god Ningizzida from The Epic of Gilgamesh. Ningizzida was a fertility god, and while we certainly associate fertility and obstetrics, I am not aware of any other direct link between fertility and medicine in most ancient cultures: http://www.publicsafe.net/wand.htm
(I have looked at several of the “parasite” citations and find them less than persuasive. I know of no other confusion between snakes and worms in Mediterranean or Middle Eastern mythology. I also (perhaps ignorantly) find the tale of “winding” a parasite out of the body implausible, as every parasite I have encountered would simply break under that kind of force.)
Note that in this site’s recitation, they describe the ancient uses of the kerykeion (none of them medical) and then simply throw in that Aesculapius was represented by a snake (note: not by two snakes) and then presume a connection.
In a transitional coat of arms for early nineteenth century Venezuela, a caduceus is portrayed as a symbol of commerce, not of medicine. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ve-f.html
The earliest link that I can find between the caduceus and medicine is in a gift that John Caius bestowed upon Gonville & Caius College in the late sixteenth century. Interestingly, this icon, symbol of the college Master’s office, was capped with four serpents, not two or one. And while I cannot claim that it actually supports my contention, I will note that as the symbol of the college’s Master, it may have actually had a different meaning than simply an association with medicine. (Or perhaps, this wand held at this college became the source for the belief that the caduceus was actually medically related.)
tomndebb - the removal of the guinea worm, by winding around it around a stick, was mentioned in my parasitology class (college-level), in the textbook (with accompanying photos), and is document at many websites easily found through a Google search (“guinea worm removal”). example another example
and, last but not least: Cecil Adams on the subject
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