How did the medical emblem of two snakes intertwined around a dagger originate?

Answer 1

The serpentine staff you're referring to is called a caduceus. It has Greek origins -- Hermes, the messenger of the gods, carried it as a symbol of peace.
Ancient Greeks created the caduceus as a badge of honor; ambassadors and noblemen carried a long staff entwined with garlands or ribbons to announce their presence. The garlands were later interpreted as snakes, and a pair of wings was added to denote Hermes, the winged messenger.

Here's where it gets tricky. The U.S. Army medical corps adopted the caduceus as their insignia because of its similarity to the staff carried by Asclepius, the god of medicine. The staff of Asclepius is considered the "true symbol of medicine" -- it features only one snake, and no wings. It's the emblem of the American Medical Association.

The two symbols are quite similar in appearance, and both are derived from Greek mythology. The caduceus generally stands for peace, although it may also serve as a symbol of trade and communication, while the staff of Asclepius stands for healing.

Answer 2

The serpentine staff you're referring to is called a caduceus. It has Greek origins -- Hermes, the messenger of the gods, carried it as a symbol of peace.
Ancient Greeks created the caduceus as a badge of honor; ambassadors and noblemen carried a long staff entwined with garlands or ribbons to announce their presence. The garlands were later interpreted as snakes, and a pair of wings was added to denote Hermes, the winged messenger.

Here's where it gets tricky. The U.S. Army medical corps adopted the caduceus as their insignia because of its similarity to the staff carried by Aesculapius, the god of medicine. The staff of Aesculapius is considered the "true symbol of medicine" -- it features only one snake, and no wings. It's the emblem of the American Medical Association.

The two symbols are quite similar in appearance, and both are derived from Greek mythology. The caduceus generally stands for peace, although it may also serve as a symbol of trade and communication, while the staff of Aesculapius stands for healing

Answer 3

It's called a Caduceus from Greek (Hermes) and Roman (Mercury) mythology. The caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol of medicine and/or medical practice, especially in North America, due to widespread confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the rod of Asclepius, which has only a single snake and no wings. Asclepius is the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek religion. The caduceus is actually a symbol for commerce since Mercury is the god of commerce. The similarity between the two symbols has erroneously caused it the caduceus to be widely used in regards to medicine.

Answer 4

The kerykeion (Greek), or caduceus (Latin) was carried by Hermes. Besides being a messenger to the gods, he was also the guide for the dead into Hades. Though a bit counter-intuitive, this is one origin of the caduceus as a symbol of the medical profession. The Rod of Asclepius is often used, and is more associated, in Greek mythology with healing. It should be noted also that veterinary medicine also uses the caduceus since Hermes was also the god of husbandry.

Answer 5

Medical Emblem

Answer 6

From the greek god Hermes. He was the messenger god and the god of inventing magic. It's called a caduceus. Magic being the way of healing the sick. His staff was entwined with two serpents. I was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy and there are many tales behind your question. this is the answer that I think makes the most sense.

Answer 7

From the Bible, when Moses was leading the Jews to the promised land. The story is in the book. Lets see, Old Testament, look up word, serphant, also Jesus made a reference to it, in John 3:14 or 15 .