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A 'caduceus' (; ''kerykeion'' in Greek is a (sometimes) winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it. It was an ancient astrological symbol of commerce and is associated with the Greek god Hermes, the messenger for the gods, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. It was originally a herald's staff, sometimes with wings, with two white ribbons attached. The ribbons eventually evolved into snakes. It is sometimes mistakenly used as a symbol for medicine, by those confusing it with the rod of Asclepius, which features only a single snake and no wings.

Contents

Origin

Variations

Meaning

Confusion with the rod of Asclepius

Examples of usage

Standard representation

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links

Origin

The caduceus is strongly linked to the Ancient Greek god Hermes (Mercury in Roman mythology). The origin of the staff is described in the story of Tiresias, The Caduceus vs the Staff of Asclepius who found two snakes copulating and attempted to separate them with his staff. Tiresias was immediately turned in to a woman, and so remained until he was able to repeat the act seven years later. This staff later came in to the possession of the god Hermes, along with its transformative powers.

Variations

In some cases, ancient depictions of the Greek kerykeion (e.g. on vase paintings) can be radically different from the modern representation (as in the picture at top right). These representations feature the two snakes atop the staff (rod), crossed to create a circle with the heads of the snakes resembling horns. This old graphic form, with an additional crossbar to the staff, has become the typographical Mercury-sign widely used in astrological and alchemistic contexts for centuries. Another simplified variant of the caduceus is to be found in dictionaries, indicating “commercial term”: the staff with two winglets attached, the snakes omitted (or better: reduced to a small ring in the middle).

Meaning

The caduceus is used by a variety of professions who have a connection with Hermes, who was the god of commerce, eloquence, invention, travel and theft. Examples of groups who use the caduceus include:

★ 'Merchants' - The most recognised use of the caduceus is by merchants

★ 'Journalists' - The symbol is often used by journalists as Hermes was both a messenger and god of eloquence

★ 'Postal workers' - Related to the association of Hermes with being a messenger

Confusion with the rod of Asclepius

The caduceus is often (incorrectly) used as a symbol for medicine or doctors, in place of the rod of Asclepius which is the usual symbol of the medical profession. A 1992 survey of American health organisations found that 62% of professional associations used the rod of Asclepius, whereas in commercial organisations, 76% used the caduceus.^[1]
Early confusion between the symbols almost certainly arose due to the links between alchemy and Hermes, whose symbol is the caduceus. The alchemists adopted the caduceus because Hermes, the God of Messengers, was also the patron lord of gamblers, thieves, tricksters and alchemists. By the end of the 16th century, alchemy became widely associated with medicine in some areas, leading to some use of the caduceus as a medical symbol.
The main reason for the modern confusion over the symbols occurred when the caduceus was adopted by the Medical Department of the United States Army in 1902. The symbol of modern medicine: why one snake is more than two, , Robert A, Wilcox, Annals of Internal Medicine, This was brought about by one Captain Reynolds, who after having the idea rejected several times by the Surgeon General, persuaded the new incumbent (WH Forwood) to adopt it. The mistake was noticed several years later by the librarian to the surgeon general, but was not changed.
There was further confusion caused by the use of the caduceus as a printer's mark (as Hermes was the god of eloquence and messengers), which appeared in many medical textbooks as a printing mark, although subsequently mistaken for a medical symbol.

Examples of usage

★ The caduceus is the official emblem of the United States Navy Hospital Corps. (see Hospital Corpsman)

★ The caduceus is the official magazine of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. The symbol (with a slight difference) appears on the Order's pledge pin and crest.

★ Caduceus Capital, a famous group of on & off-shore Venture Capital funds specializing in early-stage Life Science & Biotech security investments.

★ Columbia Business School uses a logo derived from the caduceus symbol. They also have other references to the Greek god Hermes including an alumni magazine.

★ The caduceus is used in the coat of arms of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

★ A stylized caduceus was used on the outside of the main Starfleet Medical headquarters, in the episode "".

★ The Renaissance artist Jacopo de' Barbari signed most of his work just with a (wingless) caduceus.

Standard representation

There are three Unicode representations of the caduceus: U+2624 () on the Miscellaneous Symbols table, U+263F (the astrological form) and U+269A (the lexicographical form), both in the same range.

See also

★ Enki, a Sumerian god whose symbol was 2 serpents on an eagle-winged stick, which was already an ancient symbol before Enki's cult arose.

★ Thyrsus

★ Aaron's rod

★ Serpent (symbolism)

★ Promethea

★ Jacopo de' Barberi Italian Renaissance artist, signed his work with a caduceus

★ CADUCEUS (expert system)

★ Palmette

★ Nehushtan

★ U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsmen use the caduceus as their rating symbol

Notes

1. The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus symbol in medicine, , Walter J, Friedlander, Greenwood Press, ,

Further reading

★ Bunn, J. T. ''Origin of the caduceus motif'', JAMA, 1967. United States National Institutes of Health: National Center for Biotechnology Information PMID 4863068
★ Fenkl, Heinz Insu, ''Caduceus''

★ Burkert, Walter, ''Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual'', Translation, University of California , 1979.

External links

★ Iris and Infant Hermes with Caduceus

★ Caduceus from Encyclopaedia Britannica