Lux Absio Bervatum

Monday, August 11, 2014

Rod of Asclepius

This is part of an animation project I was working on, but I realized I was overly ambitious with the whole thing so it will probably never get finished. Anyway, I liked this frame enough that it bummed me out to think it would never get seen by anyone else.

Rod of Asclepius by Henry | BY CC-SA 4.0
The rod of Asclepius is a more appropriate symbol for medicine than the more commonly used caduceus (that's the rod with the wings at the top and two snakes coiled around it). Why? Because the caduceus was what Hermes carried and the rod of Asclepius was what Asclepius carried. Hermes is mainly known for being a speedy messenger and escorting dead people into the afterlife. Asclepius is mainly known for being the god of medicine and healing. WHICH OF THOSE SOUNDS MORE LIKE WHAT DOCTORS DO?

It would make more sense to use the caduceus as the symbol for email and the asklepian (another name for the rod of Asclepius) as the symbol for medicine.